#i just found that article hilarous | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tawaifeddiediaz · 3 years

Note

how about "I see you still have my shirt" ?

KATE thank you for the ask hehe <3 I'm slowly catching up on these so

simping softness prompts

[AO3 Link - like home]

Word Count: 3328 words

Warnings for this: teeny bit of sickfic vibes and a vague allusion to a child who's been abused (not at all graphic, it's a one-paragraph retelling after they get back to the station) [yeah i don't know why i can't just write straight fluff but here we are]

Buck was clearing out his closet when he found the first one.

At first, he didn’t recognize the beige-green shade, or the weirdly straight shape of the T-shirt. It felt strange when he put it on, too — a bit too tight across his chest and shoulders, but still falling loosely around his waist.

“That’s weird,” he murmured to himself, walking over to the bathroom.

He didn’t exactly remember buying an Army T-shirt, nor did he even know if he’d been around any place where he could get it for free. The only military service T-shirt he had was an old one from his SEAL try-outs, and that was in tattered at this point. Buck would be surprised if it still fit him after all these years.

Buck twisted around to look at the back, his mouth falling open in surprise as the air left his lungs.

DIAZ, it read boldly, each letter emblazoned between his shoulder blades.

It was Eddie’s shirt.

Suddenly, the flimsy fabric held a significant weight against Buck’s skin, settling in place as if it was meant to be there. There was an asinine hilarity to how quickly Buck went from throwing the shirt in the donation pile to stuffing it back into his closet, for his eyes only.

It wasn’t like there was anyone else who could find the shirt sitting among his own and trace it right back to Eddie, but suddenly, Buck felt the need to keep it private, for himself.

His heart skipped as he traced the four letters with his eyes, twisting back around to look at the faded letters across his chest, wondering how many times Eddie wore the shirt without really thinking about it, never as anything sacred.

The army was his best friend’s least favourite topic to talk about. Save for a few casual conversation drops, Eddie almost never talked about the army as if it were something personal to him.

Perhaps that was the same nonchalance that led to this shirt getting mixed in with Buck’s stuff, without being missed.

If Buck had to predict it, he would say that Eddie forgot this shirt when he went back home after the quarantine they’d spent at Buck’s apartment. He’d found a pair of socks that ended up being Chim’s, and an earring of Hen’s a few months after. Albert’s stuff still showed up from time to time, randomly shoved into forgotten drawers, or stuffed down the couch cushions.

But that had still been a year and a half ago. They’d lived lifetimes in that time, between the leaps their lives took, only to tangle them closer together.

Buck stared at his reflection, standing in Eddie’s shirt. There was a certain intimacy to unknowingly sharing articles of clothing that kept them from being too vulnerable, but it burned something fierce to have this piece of Eddie without the rest of him.

Eddie had broken up with Ana three weeks after the shooting, and to Buck’s knowledge, he hadn’t dated anyone else since. Every time Buck asked, Eddie always shrugged and said he was waiting for the right time.

It had been a few weeks after breaking up with Taylor that Buck had realized that this...thing...with his best friend wasn’t as platonic as he’d wanted to think it was. They always seemed to be skipping through hurdles at some points, while slowing to a snail’s pace at others. Always daring the other to make the first move, always trying to catch the other slipping

The thing was, Buck knew Eddie was waiting on him. It was in everything Eddie did for him — from as small as grabbing Buck’s favourite cookie when he bought his coffee in the mornings, to bigger things like using words Buck needed to hear when he was feeling down. Eddie had never been a man of words; he was a man of action, through and through, and Buck knew it better than anyone that Eddie went out of his way to make him feel like he was loved. And he did it without the expectation of anything more.

Buck wanted more, but he wasn’t ready to risk what he had with Eddie and Christopher yet. He knew, without a doubt, that it would be worth putting everything on the line, but sometimes, it was hard to believe that he got to have this. Buck knew Eddie was it for him, and that realization was scarier than anything else he’d learned about himself over the years.

He was working on it, but he wasn’t there just yet.

Buck slipped the shirt off with all the care of handling something delicate, folding it carefully before walking over to his closet. He set the shirt on the top shelf for easy access, apart from all his other things.

Eddie hadn’t asked for it in over a year, so Buck assumed it was okay if he kept it.

Maybe one day, Buck would find the courage to give it back to him, along with all the other things he’d been holding back from.

For now, though, this was enough.

----

The next item to join his grand stash of one shirt was a sweater.

“You’re going to drive me insane one day,” Eddie commented as he came back, cough medicine and thermometer in hand.

“Not my fault,” Buck rasped, struggling to sit himself up. Eddie took him by the elbow and helped him sit against the pillows. “You try babysitting a preschooler.”

“I’ve done my dues,” Eddie snorted, filling the cap up to the line.

Buck had to laugh at that. “Done my time, paid my dues.”

“Shut up.”

He paid for the quip with bitter, sticky medicine that made him feel like his throat was being glued shut. Buck shuddered the whole way it went down while Eddie only shook his head at his antics. “I hate that medicine with everything in me.”

Eddie ran the thermometer across his forehead, grinning as he turned the screen to show Buck the blinking numbers. “99.2. Not bad at all. Your fever finally broke.”

“Thanks, Doctor Diaz,” Buck said as sarcastically as he could manage, closing his eyes as he drifted. He wasn’t delirious from fever, but his body ached something fierce and he still felt cold from where Eddie had pushed all of the blankets off him in an attempt to break his fever.

It worked, but Buck was cold.

He had hardly reached for a thick blanket before Eddie was on him, taking it away in favor of a thinner fleece one. “Eddie, I’m freezing.” He was a little too far gone to care how whiny and nasally he sounded.

“Wait, I might have something for you.” Buck watched as his friend walked over to his dressers, rummaging through until he pulled out a sweater. “Put this on.”

It was a plain black sweater, but as Buck pulled it on, Eddie’s scent engulfed him, embedded into the thick wool. The sweater was clearly meant to be oversized, because the sleeves went past even Buck’s fingers.

He burrowed as much as he could into the warm material, feeling his body relax into the mattress at the familiar smell. Most of Buck didn’t even care that Eddie was watching him, but the small part of him that did mumbled out a thanks, drifting between sleep and wake.

As he gave himself over to unconsciousness, Buck thought he felt Eddie brushing his fingers through his hair once, just before the door clicked shut.

Buck pressed his face into Eddie’s sweater, and smiled in his sleep.

----

Sweatpants were next, along with a long-sleeved shirt this time.

This time, it really wasn’t his fault. He and Christopher were just trying to open a can of pizza sauce. It wasn't their fault it went off like a bottle rocket.

Buck and Christopher stared wide-eyed at Eddie, who was staring right back at them. Buck was sure they looked like victims at a crime scene, with pizza sauce smothered all over them. There was even some in Buck’s hair, though God knew how.

“How…” Eddie trailed off, sighing. “Okay, don’t move.”

“Do you think he’s mad?” Christopher asked as Eddie dashed out of the kitchen, looking up at Buck.

“Nah, it was an accident,” Buck told him, knowing it to be true. “Why’d it explode like that, anyway?”

Christopher shook his head. “I don’t know, but it’s messy and feels gross.” He went to rub his eye but Buck caught his wrist before he could smear tomato all over.

“You got that right,” he cringed. Buck felt disgusting . It would take forever for them to stop smelling like garlic and Italian seasoning. Not to mention the sabotage to their dinner plans — Buck felt worse about that , far more than about the colossal tomato disaster Eddie’s kitchen had become.

Eddie came back with a trash bag, holding it out to them. “Those clothes are as good as gone. Might as well dump them now. We’ll clean the kitchen after you two are clean.”

They dutifully stripped down before Eddie took Chris into the hallway bathroom, calling out behind him. “Buck, you can use the shower in my room. There’s clothes on the counter for you.”

Feeling a little more than naked standing in Eddie’s kitchen in just a tank and his boxers, Buck cut through the hallway to make a mad dash for Eddie’s room. True to it, Eddie had set out a pair of sweatpants and another shirt.

It took some good scrubbing before Buck felt confident enough that he didn’t smell like pizza sauce. By the end of it, he’d used probably half of Eddie’s body wash, a good amount of shampoo and almost all the conditioner.

He made a mental note to replace them later.

The sweatpants were too short on him, coming an inch above his ankle. Still, they were passable, and more importantly, clean .

Buck threw the shirt on, pushed the sleeves up and made sure he smelled human before leaving the bathroom.

Eddie and Chris’ voices were still coming from the bathroom, so Buck decided to start cleaning the explosion in the kitchen. There was sauce all over the counter, floor, cabinets and stove. None of it managed to get on the stretched out pizza dough, because of course not.

Buck was in the middle of scrubbing the second cabinet when Eddie and Chris came back.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Eddie said, grabbing another rag to start wiping the counters down. “I ordered pizza, by the way. Figured we’d avoid another accident.”

“It was for the best,” Christopher nodded solemnly, walking over to the pizza dough. “What are we going to do with this?”

“We could turn that into garlic bread,” Buck suggested, turning towards Eddie. “Wouldn't take more than a little butter, garlic and salt.”

Eddie shrugged. “You two are the chefs here. Anything sounds good to me.”

They did end up making breadsticks, and when the pizza came, they ate cross-legged in front of the TV. It was cozy, sitting there in his boyfriend’s clothes during their normal movie night, with his favourite kid in the world tucking into his pizza across from him.

Eddie drew Buck in for a quick kiss as they settled on the couch together, Christopher curled into Eddie’s side. “You look good in those.”

Buck looked down at himself, thinking of all the other clothes that were Eddie’s, reserved for that top shelf in his closet. “You think so?”

His boyfriend nodded, dragging a thumb along the sleeve. “Yeah.”

Christopher shushed them loudly when the movie picked up, effectively ending the conversation. Buck couldn’t resist grinning at the kid’s antics with Eddie, but also a little bit because he still hadn’t told him about the clothes he kept tucked away.

Those were safe. Now that they were dating, Buck felt better about slipping into bed wearing something that once was Eddie’s. The sweater still smelled of his boyfriend’s cologne, and Buck tugged it on whenever he needed a pick-me-up, or whenever he missed him on the rare days he spent alone at his loft.

Buck wondered what Eddie would think about the stash — not that he was thinking of telling him just yet. Maybe one day, but for now, Buck was content to have two more articles to add to it.

It was entirely Eddie’s fault that these clothes never got back to him.

----

In general, Buck kept it to himself.

He didn’t tell anyone how much he actually liked wearing Eddie’s clothes — how safe they made him feel, how easy it was to ground himself with the scent of Eddie around him. He didn’t tell anyone how wearing the sweater Eddie had given him, while he was caring for Buck in a way no one but Maddie had, made missing his boyfriend a little more bearable. Especially on shifts Eddie worked without him, when an unease would grip Buck and not let go until he knew Eddie was at home again.

Some days, though, it was all he could think about.

Buck rummaged through their locker, looking for the jacket that belonged to Eddie. Eddie, who wasn’t on shift, and had no idea of the thoughts racing through Buck’s mind right now.

Finally, he found what he was looking for, shoving his arms through the sleeves and zipping it all the way up, as if the thin fleece could stop the bone-deep chill from spreading through his chest.

“Buck?” Bobby’s voice came from the entry of the locker room just as Buck sat down heavily on the bench, as if his strings had been cut.

“Hey.”

“You doing okay?” Bobby asked gently, sitting next to him.

Buck thought about it.

His hands were still trembling, and he didn’t think he’d be warm again. He wanted Eddie so much his heart hurt with it, his brain wouldn’t shut up for five seconds and the weight on his chest still wouldn't let him suck in a full breath.

“No,” he answered honestly.

Bobby didn’t push him to talk after that, only sat there in quiet support. Buck was more grateful than ever for it, because the words came tumbling out of him anyway.

“I hate the things we see on this job sometimes.”

The admission snapped through the air like lightning, straightening the captain’s back as he listened carefully.

Buck continued only after tugging the sleeves of his jacket over his fists, hiding as much of himself behind the jacket as he could. “I know the world is a cruel place, but G od it’s exhausting to see it all the time. Because my brain just keeps wondering what life even is, why some people are dealt the hands they are and on those days, it’s so much harder to see the good in the world.”

“We could sit here for centuries and not know the answer to that, Buck,” Bobby replied gently. “But there is good, even on the days it’s harder to see. It doesn’t go away.”

Buck absently picked at a thread, thinking about Eddie and Christopher. He couldn’t see them, but he knew they were there, and they weren't going anywhere. “Yeah, you’re probably right. It’s just...so hard to see.”

“The kid will be fine. I spoke to the hospital, and they said she’ll make a full recovery.”

Buck had been first to reach her from where she’d been stumbling through a neighbourhood. She’d been half-delirious from exhaustion, clothes dirty and hair mangled. There were bruises and cuts littered past the grime, and Buck’s heart had nearly given out once the pieces fell into place.

Hell, he had frozen. Hen had pulled him away while Bobby and Chim quickly began treating her.

“Why don’t you go lie down for a bit? We’re off calls for the next hour, get some rest.” Bobby hesitated for a bit, before gesturing towards Buck’s phone. “Maybe talk to Chris? It might help you feel better. Eddie, too.”

Buck gave his captain a grateful nod, standing up on creaky legs to go to the bunks. Hen and Chim were already in there, both of them with headphones in. The solemn mood clung to the air, pressing it a little heavier in Buck’s lungs.

They gave him questioning looks, and Buck gave them tired smiles in return as he crawled into the next empty bed, closing his eyes. It was easier to pretend that he was back home in Eddie’s bed with Christopher snuggled between them if he didn’t have his eyes open. He didn't want to talk about this with them over the phone, so he simply slid his phone underneath his pillow and curled into himself.

The jacket smelled strongly of Eddie and home and everything Buck loved, so he buried his nose into the fabric, finally letting a few tears slip when no one could see him.

No one mentioned how the fit of the jacket was too snug to be Buck’s own.

----

It all came out a year after Buck found the first shirt.

“Do you really need all of this?” Eddie teased as he moved around the loft with another box. Buck laughed from where he was packing the side table.

“Yeah, I can’t roam around naked all day.” He instantly held a hand up as Eddie opened his mouth. “Nope, don’t.”

Eddie’s laughter rang out in the almost-empty apartment, and Buck smiled at the rich sound as he turned back to his task.

“Oh, what’s this?” His voice sounded faraway. Buck craned his neck to look into the closet, his heart nearly stopping when he saw Eddie reaching for the top shelf.

Dammit.

Eddie pulled out his old army shirt, and Buck froze like a deer caught in headlights. “So...I see you still have my shirt.”

He’d been caught out, so Buck decided to just own it.

“Yeah...about that.” He walked over and reached up for the other pieces of clothing he’d collected over the past year. “I kind of...forgot to return them.”

Eddie looked at the pile in disbelief before bursting out laughing. “I thought I lost these things.”

“You did. They’re mine now,” Buck scoffed, smiling against his boyfriend’s mouth as he bent to kiss him. “You’re still not getting them back. Losers weepers, Eddie.”

“Very second-grade of you.” Eddie wrapped his arms around Buck’s waist. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re moving in then. More for you to steal.”

“I’m just borrowing with no intent to return,” Buck corrected. There was an important technicality there.

“You can have all of them if you want. But I’m stealing one too.”

Eddie really thought he was gonna get off scot-free for doing the exact same thing. Buck held him in place, raising an eyebrow. “What about the three hoodies of mine that are already in your closet?”

It was his boyfriend’s turn to freeze. Buck burst out laughing at the doe-eyed look.

“They’re comfy!” he defended.

Buck pointedly looked at the pile of Eddie’s old clothes. “Yeah, and so are these. So it’s settled. We keep it all.”

“Pretty sure that’s what moving in together means,” his boyfriend nodded agreeably, pulling away to survey the pile.

They made quick work of filling the rest of the boxes together, Eddie’s gaze softening as Buck told him about why he wanted to keep these few articles of clothing with him. In return, Eddie told him about how it was easier to fall back asleep after a nightmare if he had something that reminded him of his life now.

This time, when they rearranged the dressers to fit all of Buck’s stuff, they didn’t draw clear distinctions between whose clothes were whose. It was unspoken, that virtually anything in the closet was free game, so long as it came back to the same place, where it belonged.

The next time Buck went to pull a warm sweater out, it smelled like them — like home.

#zee answers #zee writes #buddie #evan buckley #eddie diaz #christopher diaz #buck x eddie #911 fic #buddie fic #i'll still take the prompt if anyone wants one i just make no promises i'll get it written

141 notes · View notes

rosethornewrites · 2 years

Text

Back when I was 16, I was taking a high school course that involved choosing a topic for a research project. Topics involved history, art, and literature, and we were given a list to choose from.

I chose the word that looked interesting, that I didn’t recognize: Chernobyl.

Believe it or not, this enabled me to approach from a perspective of curiosity, which actually made my research experience better because I wanted to learn about this disaster and the impacts of it.

This was the 90s, so the internet was much smaller than it is today, and it was the age of Internet 1.0, pre-social media. A lot of what I used for the project, including the translated poetry of a woman from Pripyat who later died of Chernobyl-induced cancer, has since disappeared from the internet.

We didn’t have databases with scholarly articles, and were rather limited to what was accessible locally. There was only so much available, but I worked hard. If I knew then what I know now about research, I would have found a way to go up the the Ukrainian area of Chicago (I lived in the suburbs) and maybe even the Ukrainian embassy (I visited the Polish one when I was a kid as part of 4-H).

To be honest, what I know now about research kind of puts that project to shame, though I found to my absolute hilarity year later that some college students used my paper, which was put on the high school’s website after an assignment involving learning to use HTML coding, as a source for a group college paper. Let’s just say it wasn’t good source material.

I digress.

What this project did was make me aware, at a relatively young age, of the Chernobyl disaster and the devastation wrought by it, especially to the people who lost their homes and were exposed to radiation far longer than necessary because the USSR tried to hide what was happening until, iirc, Sweden or Norway picked up radiation that was from the disaster and was at that point travelling world-wide.

The USSR left many Ukrainians to be contaminated and ultimately die horribly so as to avoid admitting what had occurred. It was not the first time, nor was it the last. Now Russia, apparently wanting to remake the USSR, has invaded Ukraine. Today the Russian military seized the Chernobyl disaster zone, and potentially damaged containment bunkers containing nuclear dust, which could have a world-wide impact and would most certainly be a humanitarian disaster on top of a military one for Ukraine.

As a result of my teenage project 22 years ago, I have paid a lot of attention to Ukraine, particularly after the Russian seizure of Crimea. I’m watching now, and though I am American and thus am not personally impacted by the war Russia has declared on Ukraine, I know more than many average Americans.

I stand with Ukraine against Russia’s aggression.

#chernobyl #ukraine

10 notes · View notes

heavenlyhaechan · 3 years

Text

Make a Wish

Pairing: Renjun x Gn!Reader

Genre: established relationship au, fluff,

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: n/a

Rating: PG

Note: happy birthday Renjun!!! (no this has nothing to do with the song)

Angel Numbers.

“Make a wish,” Renjun whispered to you as the numbers on his digital clock switched from 11:10 to 11:11 pm. You laid next to him in his bed, drifting between dreaming and consciousness.

“I wish for you to let me sleep,” you mumbled, your dry throat making you sound as raspy as a snake’s hiss.

“If you say it out loud, it won’t come true,” he giggled. His words were met with silence, and so he gave up trying to get you to engage, rolling onto his back to stare at the glow-in-the-dark stars you’d put on his ceiling last summer instead.

“I’d love to go to outer space,” he mused out loud as he let his eyes go out of focus. The neon stars were blobs now, more like jellyfish than cosmic balls of fire. Although he supposed stars looked a lot more like this in reality.

“You’d leave me just like that?” you teased, finally giving in to his refusal to let you sleep.

“No, of course not silly, you’d have to come with me,” he said, poking your cheek.

“I don’t know if I’m up for all the, ya know, risking my life that would take.”

“It’s not that dangerous,” he said, walking his fingers up your arm. “And plus, you’d have me to protect you.”

“Oh yeah, shoulder gangster Renjun,” you sang goofily, giggling as you pictured his indignant expression from behind your closed eyelids.

“Whatever,” he muttered. “Go to sleep.”

Dandelions Seeds.

Spring was just beginning to arrive, and yet flowers were already blooming everywhere you looked. Lilacs, tulips, roses, daisies, even the dandelions were beautiful.

You lay in the park making daisy chains for you and Renjun. He sat next to you, sketchbook on his lap and pencils strewn about all around him.

“Let me draw you,” he said after a while.

“What? No.”

“Why not?” he asked, looking at you affrontingly.

“Cause I-” you searched for a concrete reason but failed to find one. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll buy you a cookie,” he bargained.

You rolled your eyes, tempted to tell him that you weren’t a child and that it wouldn’t be that easy to convince you, but his puppy dog eyes were too hard to resist.

“Make it two,” you resolved, turning back to your daisy chain.

“Deal.”

And so he drew you as you weaved daisy chains in the spring sun. Eventually, once you had finished, you stretched your arms up over your head, feeling your back crack satisfactorily. Then you got up and placed one of the daisy chains on Renjun’s head, making him look quite like a prince. You refrained from telling him as much, however, knowing how he would tease you if he could hear your innermost thoughts.

He looked up from his sketchbook as your shadow fell over him, smiling up at you enchantingly. “You ready to go?” he asked.

You nodded in reply, shooing him off the blanket so you could fold it neatly and lift it in your arms. As you did so, he picked an already seed-covered dandelion and held it out to you.

“Make a wish,” he said.

You took it from him and blew hard, but not hard enough to release the seeds grip. Renjun laughed loudly at your dilemma, jumping away just in time to avoid your slap on his arm.

“Try again,” he told you kindly, his tone contradicting his still gleaming smile.

You did as he said, this time managing to blow dandelion seeds straight into his face.

“Hey!” he sputtered, waving his hands in front of his face. “I’m gonna get you for that,” he said once he’d recovered. With a yell, he grabbed you in his arms and, with a strength you didn’t know he had, spun you around in circles on the green grass.

You gasped with laughter, your arms holding onto him for dear life. After he had tired himself out he set you down and bent over with laughter of his own. This renewed your own bout of hilarity and for some time the two of you stood there hopelessly wiping tears from your eyes.

Once you had both regained your breath, Renjun straightened up, hooked an arm around your shoulders, and reminded you of his earlier promise of cookies. “What kind do you want?” he asked.

“Chocolate chip.”

“Fine, two chocolate chip cookies coming right up!”

Fallen Eyelashes.

The rain pounded down on your roof like pebbles on a tin can. You sat on your kitchen counter, waiting for your kettle to boil while Renjun rummaged through your refrigerator.

“You don’t have any bagels do you?” he asked as he straightened up. You shook your head apologetically.

“I have to go to the store soon.”

“We could go now,” he said, jumping up to sit next to you.

“Is anywhere even open?” you asked, looking pointedly at the clock over the stove that read 1:16 am.

“Probably,” he said, but he sounded doubtful.

“We can go in the morning,” you told him, hopping off the counter as the kettle started to shriek.

“Fine,” he sighed, jumping down after you and pulling two mugs down from the shelf. “Be boring like that.”

“Watch it, I have boiling water and I’m not afraid to use it,” you warned as you brandished the steaming kettle.

“Okay, okay,” he held his hands up in surrender, stepping back as you poured water into the mugs and dunked a tea bag into each. You set a five-minute timer to let them steep before moving back to sit on the counter.

“Hey, wait,” Renjun said, reaching a hand out to stop you. “You have an eyelash right,” he drew out the word as he lifted it off your cheek, “here,” he held it out on his pointer finger. “Make a wish.”

You smiled a little before bending forward and blowing the eyelash off his finger and into oblivion.

Fountain Coins.

You and Renjun walked arm in arm through the city streets, making your way towards the local art museum. He had been chattering to you excitedly about the new exhibit for days, and here was your opportunity to finally see it for yourselves.

You rounded the corner that led to the museum and suddenly the street opened up around you and turned into a spacious square. In the middle sat a grand fountain, its centerpiece a bronze rendition of Poseidon, complete with a trident and numerous dolphins jumping all around him.

“Oh, cool,” Renjun said under his breath. “Do you have any coins?” You nodded, pausing to rummage around in your bag before producing two coins, one for you and one for Renjun.

“Make a wish,” he reminded you as you stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the fountain. You did as he said, closing your eyes and rubbing the coin between your thumb and forefinger before tossing it into the crystal clear pool.

Shooting Stars.

“Remind me why I’m doing this?” you queried as you followed Renjun down the forest path, blanket tucked under your arm.

“Because you love me.”

“That may be true, but this seems an awful lot like the start of a horror movie.”

“Just wait, it’ll be worth it, I promise.”

You sighed but stopped complaining, choosing to focus on keeping Renjun insight instead. A minute or two later you emerged into a large clearing, a field really, with the open night sky above your heads.

“Oh wow,” you whispered in awe, but Renjun still heard you.

“I told you,” he said triumphantly, gesturing for you to give him the blanket you’d carried with you there.

He shook it out and laid it down in the middle of the field. After he had plopped down onto it he patted the space next to him, signaling for you to join him. Laying back the two of you marveled at the endless night sky, the milky way a wondrous strip of sparkling light.

Renjun pointed out constellations and planets to you, telling you about the articles he’d read lately that detailed the discoveries being made every day. Suddenly, a streak of light raced across the sky to your left. Renjun stopped midsentence to point excitedly.

“Did you see that?” he cried out.

“Yeah,” you said, smiling at his youthful enthusiasm.

“Did you make a wish?”

You nodded again as you pushed yourself up to meet his eyes. The stars were quite literally reflected in them, but you thought they were bright enough already without any help from the heavens.

Birthday Candles.

“Okay, he’s almost here!” you called out as you tucked your phone back into your pocket after reading Haechan’s text of forewarning. You went to switch off the lights while Jaemin hissed at the others to quiet down.

You found a place to hide behind the couch with Jeno and Jisung, your heart beating overtime in anticipation. The six of you sat in the dark and quiet for what felt like an eternity until finally the door swung open and you heard Haechan scream out a “Surprise!” He pushed Renjun through the door in front of him as he did so, signaling the rest of you to jump out of your hiding places and begin to sing.

Renjun stood stock-still for a moment, clearly just as startled as you had hoped he would be. Then after a moment, he broke out into laughter, looping an arm around Haechan’s neck in a halfhearted chokehold. Smiling around the words of the song, you pulled him to stand in front of his cake where it sat on the table, already lit.

As the song came to a close, punctuated by Haechan and Chenle’s high-pitched screams and Mark’s breathless laughter, you said quietly enough that only Renjun could hear you through the chaos.

“Make a wish.”

117 notes · View notes

glitxhwayventeen · 3 years

Text

We Fell In Love In October

Hansol: Chapter 2 (Tire Swing)

Characters: Hansol x female reader

Genre/Warnings: multi-member au (different scenarios), werewolf au, fantasy, smut, unprotected sex, light choking, marking, sort of dirty talk, nudity, teasing, oral (female receiving), fingering, fluff, potential blood mentions. Any others will be put as warnings when future chapters are thought up/written

Author’s Note: I recommend listening to Tire Swing by Kimya Dawson. Yes it’s the song from Juno, no I’m not saying to listen to it ironically. I think it’s a cute song and I believe it’s a good representation of the relationship I think Ona and Hansol would have.

Bold= Dialogue Italics= Thoughts

Please remember that all of these chapters and the content within them are a work of fiction! They’re just for fun/entertainment!

💋 & ☁️

We Fell In Love In October Master List

Chapter 2: Tire Swing

Hansol couldn’t help but gawk at your nude for, sure he had seen you naked before, but this, this was different. You gave him the go ahead to make you completely his, he couldn’t help but see a new aura around your petite body in front of him. You were fucking beautiful.

“Well…?” You teased his way as you bit your lip in anticipation, waiting for him to make a move.

The way he looked you up and down sent a wave of excitement through you. You told him to mark you, and you had every intention of following through with your request.

“Well what…?” He questioned, still eyeing you like you were the only thing in his world while he nervously picked at his nails to distract himself.

“Are you gonna mark me or was all that earlier just talk?” You said seductively as you went and wrapped your arms around his neck, causing him to automatically rest his hands on the bare skin of your hips in return.

“Talk? No! It wasn’t talk! I want to mark you I just-” Hansol anxiously let out, his eyes attempting to drop to the floor in shyness before stopping at your boobs.

“Good, get to it then lover boy. We don’t have all day!” You giggled at him, quickly making your way to lay down on your shared bed, beckoning for him to follow your actions with your index finger.

You honestly didn’t think you’d ever seen anyone rip an article of cloth off their body so fast. After he had rid himself of his towel, he stumbled his way over to you, tripping over some outfits you had both tossed on the floor the day before.

When he finally found his way to the large bed, he all but crashed his body onto yours, causing you both to laugh out in hilarity.

“I love you, you absolute dumbass” You smiled at your mate with loving eyes, playing with his hair in the process, earning a pur from deep within his chest.

“And I love you too my love” He cooed at you softly before cupping your face with his large hand and pressing his lips to yours.

The kiss was powerful enough to knock the wind and any sort of silliness out of your lungs and head. It made your insides feel like they were roasting above a fire, you had to have him and you had to have him right then and there.

As if he was reading your mind, Hansol wrapped your smooth legs around his waist, beginning to grind himself down against your heat, earning a high pitched whine from your lips. He then started to trail kisses down your neck to your chest, leaving fresh purple and red blossoms that you would no doubt have to find a way to cover in the morning since bruising wasn’t part of your fast healing abilities. But you didn’t care, you were far too fucked out and horny to give any sort of thought about future consequences…

“Jesus Sol, quit teasing me and fuck me already!” You groaned out, pushing your hips into his as an indication for him to get started.

It had been too much, you had been unmarked far too long for you to be able to withstand being teased without getting annoyed.

You wanted him inside you immediately, a new wave of arousal overtook you when he took one of your nipples into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the bud before lightly grazing his teeth over it. You audibly moaned out loud, earning a small smirk from him as he released you with a pop.

“My my my. You sure are a needy baby, you know that? You haven’t even been stretched out yet. How can I start fucking you into oblivion if you haven’t been fully prepped hmm?” He spoke with amusement laced in his tone as he slyly slid his hand down to your entrance, suddenly pushing a finger knuckle deep into you, making you gasp.

“I know you’re plenty wet enough my love, but I don’t want to end up hurting you” He pouted mischievously while pumping his finger in and out of you at a steady and painstakingly slow pace.

“Please” You begged him, attempting to raise your hips up to meet him again to gain some sort of friction.

“Tsk Tsk Tsk. You’re not being a very good girl right now.” Hansol clicked his tongue while pining you back down to the bed, his fiery red eyes burrowing into yours.

“Only good girls get what they want.” He stated, leaning down next to your ear before kissing your cheek and making his way down the bed to come face to face with your soaking wet slit.

He looked up at your angry little face and decided to dive in, quickly sucking on your clit. You let out a scream at the sudden contact and grabbed his hair in a death grip to push his mouth further against you.

“You can barely take my finger sweetheart, how are you ever gonna take my dick hmm?” He wondered aloud after pulling back a bit, still fingering you furiously- only this time lightly blowing on your bundle of nerves, sending you into a frenzy of pleasure.

“Fuck! I can take it please! I just need you now! Please! I can’t take this anymore baby- it’s been too long! It’s too much!” You wailed out, tears falling down the side of your cheeks as you attempt to push him away, the stimulation hurting without it being the real thing.

He rose back to your face and hurriedly wiped the tears from your face, pulling his finger out of you.

“Shhh it’s okay baby. I’m here don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” He grinned at you, positioning his member at your entrance before pushing in, causing both of you to breathe out in relief.

After giving you a minute to adjust to his size, he slowly started moving in and out of you, testing the waters a bit. You grabbed onto his back and latched yourself onto him in ecstasy. You’d never had sex before, but fuck, you could definitely get used to it. Being so connected and close to him already had you practically cumming.

“Faster, please” You pleaded with your mate, eyes rolling in the back of your head with every deep thrust he made.

Hansol was ever so happy to oblige, speeding his pace up enough to have you start seeing stars. By the way your walls were fluttering around him, he could tell you were already getting close. He wasn’t too far behind either. He could usually last a lot longer, he had in the past. But this was different. You weren’t a random hook up or some short term girlfriend he’d inevitably have to break things off with. You were his MATE. And fuck, sex with you felt soooo fucking amazing.

“Fuck baby, you’re so tight. You feel so fucking good” He moaned out in your ear, bringing his dominant hand to your throat, gently applying pressure to lightly construct your airway.

He started pushing into you at an overwhelming force as he got closer. He couldn’t focus on staying slow. His instincts wanted him to fuck you rough and hard and he couldn’t control them anymore. He had held it all in for far too long.

“I can’t- I’m- I- I think I’m close.” You mustered out, bringing your own hand to the one he had wrapped around your throat, trying your best to stay quiet, but failing miserably.

“I know baby. Fuck- Go ahead and cum all over my cock” He groaned into your neck with his fangs protruding out, indicating that he was almost there as well.

A flash of white light threw you out of your senses, a sharp pain in your neck making the waves of pleasure you were feeling by the light provided that much more intense.

Hansol released into you when his fangs sank to your neck. He had obviously came before, he had even gone through multiple mating seasons prior to you being in the picture. But he swore that the sex he had just had with you was by far the best he had ever had. Maybe it was because he had just marked you, maybe it was because you were actually his destined mate, maybe it was because he had mated you, or maybe it was all of the above. No matter what, he wasn’t going to question it.

Once you had both crashed back own to Earth from your highs, he retracted his fangs from your neck and ran his tongue over the newly made mark to close it. After, he pecked you on the nose before he flopped down onto the bed beside you.

“Fuck.” He stated, his fucked out state bluntly obvious as he was still trying to catch his breath.

“That was…” You started before you too had to stop to let your chest rise up and down in exhaustion. You were in a state of bliss, your mate had finally marked you AND mates you. You were now his and you couldn’t be any happier.

“Incredible.” Hansol beamed as he pulled your naked body onto his chest and kissed the top of your head. He heard you whimper slightly, something that concerned him greatly.

“Are you okay baby?” He worriedly let out, rubbing your arm in an effort to comfort you while trying to scan over your body for any obvious injuries.

“Yeah. More than okay. Just a little sore is all…” You chuckled out as you playfully tapped his chest in response to his question.

“Oh… yeah… Sorry about that” He laughed out lightly, “I didn’t mean to like… break you or anything.”

There was a few seconds of silence before you pushed yourself to sit up on his torso.

“Actually… I don’t think I would mind if you broke me . Matter of fact… I’m pretty sure I’d like you to break me some more…” You trailed off as you bit your lip and looked away.

“Fuck. You don’t have to ask me twice!” He stated as he pounced on you for what would be the second out of four times that night.

Another Author’s Note: So I think what I’ll do is only write one chapter a day if it’s smut related because this shit takes me some time, even if it is bad. His chapter is shorter than the others because I honestly didn’t have a lot of time to write this today. I’ll do better next time.

(Updated 8/23)

#seventeen #seventeen angst #seventeen au #seventeen fanfic #seventeen fluff #seventeen smut #svt au #seventeen x reader #seventeen hansol #hansolchwe #svt hansol #chwe hansol #vernon

21 notes · View notes

cdmodule · 2 years

Note

You know what I don't know much about CD collections but it's nice to hear about collections. What's a CD from your collection that you are proud/happy to own and do you have a CD (or a few of them) that was very expensive when you bought it? -Food anon

IM VERY GLAD U ASKED FOOD ANON

First of all trust me my CD collection isn't anythin fancy It's really just a bunch of CD's in the corner of my room that I Love Very Much My favorite part of the collection (not necessarily my fave album overall) is Ab 18 (18+) by Die Ärzte which is an EP that was made as a result of 3 of their songs being "banned" at the time - I'll explain that in a sec - and a few more songs added that weren't banned per se but definitely questionable or Weird. Nowadays only one of the songs and therefore also the Whole Album is in the so called "index"

^^^Said album btw (It says "Warning! Sold only to teenagers over the age of 18") All offers I saw on ebay were 40-80€ at the time except for Bids and I got lucky and bid 35€ on one of em and Got It. Most I spent for any Album (usually I try and spend under 10€ for used CDs, a bit more If I have to) I just think the whole history behind some of these songs is fucking Hilarous, won't get into it in detail and I wanna put a Disclaimer that obvs I dont support all of the Off The Wall stuff they sing about (and neither do they) but its like. Sexual shock humor from the 80s I don't think It's worth getting mad over nowadays LOL I just think It's a neat piece of Ärzte Lore. Also one of the songs (instrumental wise) is one of the prettiest songs they have and I'm mad /lh I'll put some more explanation under the cut for whoever is curious about the whole banning thing

Thanks to the Bundeszentrale für Kinder- und Jugendmedienschutz (Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors) three of DÄ's songs were in the Index back in the day, which is a list that collects all media that is seen as harmful to minors. Having your song on there basically means you can't publicly display it, adveritse it, sell it to minors (iirc you have to Ask the seller If they have it) or play it live. They also have movies and video games, however not If It's already 18+ as far as I know. There is a lot more about it, If you wanna read about it you can go here (Just found out they have an english article! Awesome) Fair warning It does mention some sensitive topics A few german punk bands I like such as Wizo got this treatment too for having songs that "encourage violence and terrorism" since the song is basically a huge "fuck the state and blow up rich people" anarchy etc track. The song is called "Kein Gerede" If ur curious The first Ärzte album got that quirky little sticker for having a song on there that ended up on the Index

Which reads "This product cannot be sold to people under 18 due to Child Safety laws and is not allowed to be advertised publicly" Eventually they removed songs from the albums and rereleased them, funfact when I saw one of their Albums in the store yesterday It had a sticker on it that said the album CAN infact be purchased by people who are under 18 since one of the songs is removed The More You Know!

#answered #music tag

2 notes · View notes

adasttrawrites · 4 years

Text

A Year in the Countryside

Chapter 1: Alone At Last

Full story on ao3.

Hermione Granger has had enough of Rita Skeeter and the rest of Wizarding London watching her every move. The Wizarding world's sweetheart packs up her things and relocates to a tiny town in the Cotswolds in order to escape prying eyes. She's ready to embrace a year living a quiet life of reading her favourite books, making friends with her neighbours, and most importantly, not running into anyone she knows.

She is only two days into her new, quiet, very normal life when she finds herself face to face with the very last person she ever thought she'd see at a farmer's market: Draco Malfoy.

Chaos, calamity and general hilarity ensue!

“Here’s the key, dear. Now, remember that you have to turn the lock twice to deadbolt the door. Make sure you do. It’s a safe town but you’re a young girl. Better to be safe.”

Hermione accepted the key to her new apartment, smiling at the landlady. She was going to perform several security spells as soon as she was alone but thought that assuaging the old lady’s concerns was a small price to pay for such a beautiful home.

“Thank you, Mrs Llewellyn, I'll be very careful.”

“I’ve left a lemon cake on the kitchen bench for you, dear, and there’s bread, a pint of milk and some eggs in the fridge. I didn’t know if you would have the energy to go shopping this evening, so I thought it would be best to keep some things for you.”

“Oh, you really didn’t have to, ma’am, I wo—,”

“Nonsense. It’s my pleasure. I’ve got to go now, my husband’s waiting for me at the town hall for bingo.”

“Thank you for everything. I really appreciate it.” Hermione walked Mrs Llewellyn to the door and waved as she went down the stairs. Shutting the door and dead-bolting the lock, she turned and sighed with relief. Even though she hadn’t yet removed her furniture from her purse, the small apartment was hers. Her home. A one-bedroom home, with a living and kitchen area, and best of all, a window seat looking out over the road.

Hermione got to work setting up the furniture she needed. Up until recently, the apartment had been a storage space for the bakery downstairs. When the baker’s wife, Mrs Llewellyn, had finally thrown out all of their unnecessary junk, she cleaned up the rooms nicely and advertised it on the local bulletin board a week prior. Hermione, who had been hopping around the little towns in the area, had snatched up the offer and eagerly contacted the Llewellyns to let them know she was a responsible adult who didn’t smoke.

At the time, Hermione didn’t know why she was so keen on renting an apartment in a village in the Cotswolds, but now, she breathed a sigh of relief. Churchbury was a sleepy town, with beautiful flowers and its namesake church sitting in the middle of the town centre. Everyone knew everyone and no-one was magical, as far as she could tell. At the end of the day, she wasn’t in Wizarding London, thankfully. In the months following the war, she had been swamped by adoring fans and crazed reporters, trying to get the scoop on her life. It turned out that, while Ron and Harry were also fair game, no-one really cared about what her two best friends were wearing, or what restaurants they went to. It was “Hermione Granger this” and “Hermione Granger that” and it was maddening. She had had enough by the time winter had rolled by and spring offered her the chance to travel the world. She told Rita Skeeter, in an effort to satisfy her, that her travels would be to get to know different cultures more intimately. However, she had lied. As soon as Skeeter had published an extremely exaggerated article stating that Hermione would spend the next six months with her secret Veela fiancé in Paris, Hermione Apparated to the English countryside to clear her head. No-one would know her there, and when she saw the advertisement for the apartment while walking past the town hall, she knew this would be a good hideout.

Hermione’s parents, now back in London and with fully restored memories, were happy that their daughter was going somewhere they deemed safe, especially after fighting in a bloody war. Her father had insisted that he teach his daughter some basic tips, like using a screwdriver and how to kill spiders. She didn’t have the heart to explain that her wand served as her tool for all such tasks, and let him spend an afternoon showing her how to hammer a nail and find the stud in a wall. Her mother was excited to visit and Hermione promised they could come and stay when she was settled. Harry and Ron had both expressed their confusion at her wanting to leave London for an extended time, but after she had assured them of her safety and gotten Ministry permission to have a Floo connection in her new home, they seemed okay with the idea.

“Promise us that you’ll visit for dinner often.” Harry said as he hugged her goodbye. He gave her a framed photograph of him, her and Ron smiling at the camera. It was the only Muggle photograph they had ever taken together. Ron handed her a large cake, most definitely from his mother, and kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll miss you, Hermione, but at least it’s only a year. Don’t forget to owl whenever you can.” Thankfully he hadn’t tried to kiss her on the mouth. She had gently told him that she wasn’t interested in being more than friends after the war, and he had begrudgingly accepted that it was for the best.

Ginny had been the most excited about Hermione’s decision. She thought it would be a good way for Hermione to meet men. Tourists, she had reasoned, would pass through the area frequently. Male tourists, Ginny had said, winking.

“Be safe! Come back home whenever you’d like. We’ll be here, waiting for you.” She pushed a little figurine into Hermione’s hands. It was a wooden carving of two little girls, standing hand in hand.

“What is it for?” Hermione had asked.

“If you shake it, the matching one on my bedside table will light up and I’ll come straight through the Floo, in case you need some girl time. Even to chat.”

“Oh, Gin. It’s great, thank you.”

She was engulfed in a hug by Harry, Ron and Ginny, before Disapparating away to just outside her new village.

By the evening, Hermione had moved in most of her furniture and warded the apartment. It was really unnecessary in such a safe town, but she was a creature of habit and after spending a year on the run, protection spells were muscle memory. The bed she had bought was big. She was tired of sleeping on the tiny cot in which she had spent most nights of the last year. It was time for a large bed, where she could starfish out and not hit a wall or fall off. She placed the photograph on her bedside table along with Ginny’s gift. Walking into the living area, she surveyed her work. A big, soft sofa sat opposite a television set. She had set up several bookcases against the walls and laid cushions out on the window seat. Every tea she owned was now neatly stacked up in the cupboard above the kettle and a frittata was cooking in the oven. Her mother had secretly called ahead to the local grocer’s, and Hermione was surprised to find a parcel full of groceries show up with the delivery boy on his way home that evening.

“All done, eh, Crookshanks?” She had let him out of his carrier after she finished enlarging all the furniture from her bag. He was now sitting with his face pushed up to the window. He turned for a second back to give Hermione an admonishing glare, before returning to his earlier gaze.

As she sat back onto the sofa and waited for her dinner to be ready, Hermione was suddenly overcome by the feeling of acute loneliness. She knew it would be this way, being alone in a new town, but it was still an odd feeling. She ate dinner in silence and fell asleep at 9 pm.

— — —

Hermione walked down the path to the local farmers market. It was Saturday and she had spent the previous day moping and getting drunk on a bottle of wine that she had found in her mother’s grocery package. This morning, she had woken up feeling sorry for herself and decided, after a brief Floo call with Ginny and a Pepper-Up potion, to get out of the apartment and explore her new village. Armed with Muggle money and an assortment of cloth bags, she braved the market to meet her neighbours and buy some fruit.

“Miss Granger!” Mr Llewellyn waved from the bread stand. She smiled and walked over.

“Good morning, sir. How are you?”

“Well, thank you. Take a loaf for yourself, they’re nice and warm.”

She tried to pay but he insisted that she keep her money for other things. She tucked the seeded loaf into a bag and thanked him, making her way down the line of stalls. At the fruit seller’s, she picked up apples and oranges, as well as a bottle of cherry juice. At the cheesemonger’s table, she tried several local cheeses and bought a square of sharp cheddar for the pasta she planned to make tonight.

After her bags were heavy enough that she couldn’t walk much further, Hermione decided to turn back, until she caught sight of a stall at the very end of the market. A bookstall. Narrowing her gaze and marching over, she gasped. It was old books. Her favourite.

“Miss? Is there anything you’re looking for?” An old woman was sitting on a stool behind the table, a pair of thick spectacles perched on her nose. She had several layers of clothing on, regardless of the fact that it was a warm, sunny day. Hermione touched the spine of a novel and smiled at the lady.

“Just browsing, thank you. You have a lovely collection here, ma’am.”

The old lady looked very pleased and sat up.

“I own the secondhand bookstore over there,” she jabbed a thumb across the river at the row of shops opposite them. It was a tiny shop, wedged in between a tea shop and a florist. It reminded Hermione of 12 Grimmauld Place.

“Oh, it’s lovely.” She looked down at the books, gently letting her bags slide off her shoulders and onto the ground. Selecting a beautifully bound version of Pride and Prejudice, she opened it and sighed at the familiar words.

“Do you like Jane Austen, dearie?”

“Very much, Miss, uh—,”

“Owens. Mrs Dorothy Owens. What about you? What is your name?”

“Hermione.” It wasn’t Hermione who spoke, and she spun to her left to see the unexpected, grim and terribly handsome face of Draco Malfoy looking down at her.

“Oh my—,”

“Her name,” Malfoy turned to Mrs Owens and smiled his charming, reserved-for-strangers-only smile, “is Hermione Granger.”

#dramione #post-hogwarts #a year in the countryside #hermione granger #draco malfoy #harry potter au #hermione x draco #draco x hermione #dramione au

36 notes · View notes

slashingdisneypasta · 4 years

Text

Trenderman x Reader || Oneshot

Title: He Takes My Breath Away

Notes:

Based off the song ‘Skinny Dipping’, by Whitney Duncan, and I love the idea of Trender loosening up like this when he’s back at home where he grew up!

Plot: You and your long term boyfriend Trenderman go back to his home in Slender forest for your shared week off of work to spend time together, and the first thing he takes you to do is skinny dip in the lake.

Warnings: Smut, ‘public’ nudity and smut? I mean, you’re in a forest.

~~~

When we got there, it seemed that immediately my boyfriend became a wilder thing then he already was. He looked at me, took my bags from me and put them down in the room Slender left us in. His mouth ripped open, which I love and his torn lips grew out in an excited, toothless grin. “I have an idea, come with me.”

“What’s the idea?”

“You want to go skinny dipping?”

Now, that was not something I ever expected to come from Trenders mouth, so you’ll have to forgive me for opening my own in shock for a moment, unsure what to say. For a good few seconds I was halted, running in my mind the passed few hours, wondering if I could have possibly swapped in Trender for Offender, but no way I look at it can that be true, seeing as I haven’t seen the twin of my beautiful boyfriend in so long. Especially not today, and especially not long enough for them to swap places. Thankfully, Trender waits for me. That same, excited grin on his face.

“Uhh… sure!”

“Great, come on.” And he takes my hand, and suddenly we’re somewhere else in the forest.

A few minutes later, I’m giggling mostly just because of the sheer hilarity and ridiculousness of the situation, and at the fact that Trender’s not embarrassed at all by it, already in the water letting himself get acclimatised to the cold. I take off my last article of clothing, my underwear, and drop it on my clothes. “Who knew such a city boy would do this? You don’t seem bothered at all!” I say, getting louder at the last bit when I sit down on the dock and feel the water first with my foot, and its cold!

Trender laughs, bobbing under and coming back up quickly, just getting the rest of himself wet. All in. “I’m only a city boy at heart Y/N, I grew up here. I’m sure there’s plenty you’ll learn about me this trip.” He looks over his shoulder and grins wider this time with teeth, causing me to nearly shiver with anticipation for that. In that moment, when he sees I’m still on the dock and he comes over, puts his hands on my waist and helps me the rest of the way in, I decide I like this side of Trender, just as much as my hardcore, down-to-earth CEO business man. He’s so much looser here, more relaxed. More open to life, while still being him and that’s just what I needed from him.

When I’m in the water, and feel the icy river water everywhere, all over me, I squeal, and pull my legs up from the ground for a moment with him still holding my waist and laughing at me. Seeing each other naked is nothing new, so neither of us are caught up in that, but this is definitely different. If only because I never have baths and water has not found itself in these places for a while.

“You’re so squirmy, it’s like you’ve never swam naked in a lake in the forest before!”

Unable to pretend to be mad at him, I just swat his arm as we relax and his hands find their way to my hips instead. This is so freeing, and nice. And surprisingly comfortable, despite the rush from being butt bare outside. “Oh, shut it… “I grin at the water for a moment, enjoying the feeling. Breeze on the back of my neck and in my hair, which is up in a bun and cool water all around me, from my ankles to my chest. Oh, god, the sounds, too! All around us, the sound of wind and trees and birds… its beautiful and natural. I can’t believe I never considered this before. “So… “I peak up at him with a grin, to find he’s looking around too, at peace. He looks at me when I speak though. “You bring all your girls here?”

“No way.” Immediate. The reaction is absolutely immediate, and he makes a scoffing sound. “Let some Randoms’, see this? My family, and my home? Not in a million years. Not my gag.”

Not gonna lie. That felt good. “Well, allow me a moment to feel so unbelievably special for a moment.”

“You are special.” God, the way he says that. Like its natural, like its true. Trender has this unbelievable power, unrelated to any of his hereditary, supernatural abilities. He can make someone feel truly special, with no problem. And the thing is, with him? He truly means it. And he pulls it off casually, like its not even a big deal! If I had to describe him in one word- it would be genuine. “Now, hold your breath.”

“Oh no.” Before I can even compose myself or realise I should be scared, Trender tugs us both down under the surface of the water and brings us back up, my hair now dripping wet and my hands clasped to his shoulders, and him laughing. It’s a lovely sound, but I’m going to kill him!!

With water!

After I splash him with as much water as I can possible muster, hitting him right in the face, I feel better, and just watch him sputter and laugh some more as I pick my hair tie out of my hair, as the bun is completely irrelevant now. I smirk as I do this, letting my hair down once I’ve unentangled the rubber band wrapped in material from my hair and flung it somewhere. Eh, it was going to go missing eventually anyway- they all do.

“Y/N… “After a bit of just swimming around together, talking about things like work and fashion and our plans for the rest of the week here -one being this again of course, - we’re quiet, enjoying the afternoon weather and the water together. Trender comes up behind me, placing a hand under my back suddenly causing me to be surprised and crumple from my starfish. Luckily, he was expecting that and safely, without allowing me to swallow any water, pulls me up by the waist and to his chest when my feet touch the ground. We’re pressed together now but not for long, unfortunately, before Trender lets me go and lets me land a tiny bit off him. “Sweetheart, I love you in this.”

“… nothing?” I ask, laughing.

“Yep. “

“Well, I love you in this as well.” Biting my lip, trying to calm down my smile so it isn’t so very wide and embarrassing. Taking a deep breath and throwing back some wet hair behind my back, I rest my arms up and around Trenders neck. “Why? Am I driving you a bit mad, sweetheart?”

He doesn’t bother with words at this point, just leans down and presses a cool, gentle, lake water kiss on my lips lasting for a few seconds, allowing me to tilt my head into it and enjoy the way he kisses. It starts with a kiss, but soon enough Trender was feeling hungrier and started down my chin and my throat and my neck… totally focused on my body and our pleasure and not noticing at all what a mess he’s made of me already. But before he can stray too far from me, I take his chin in between my fingers and drag his willing mouth back to mine, and this time open our mouths to taste each other. I press forward and suck on his tongue, my own wrapping around his like my thighs are opening and wrapping around his hips. Hanging over his hip bones like a perfect, elegant, 18+ puzzle piece and setting him off.

That pushes him further then kissing, and I feel his fingers on my hips dragging me against his hardening cock making me sigh. I let go of the kiss this time in favour of the side of his neck. I want to mark him, so I do. Sliding my teeth and my tongue ever so gently over his wet skin until I reach the beautiful smooth junction between where his neck and his shoulder meet and that’s where I stake my claim. As he gets to work stimulating my pussy lips with slow, soon to be agonising strokes through the shallows of me, I suck and nibble at the spot, irritating the skin. When I feel it’s done, I stop though, and just lick. Soothing, the forming hickey like the little vampire I am. Once I’m done, what he’s doing to my cunt really is agonising, as his perfect, sinful thumb is only doing enough to make me wet if we weren’t already and making my cunt desperately crave the fulfilment of a hard, thick cock. “Ohh, my god, you tease.” I breath, rocking forward towards his hand desperately and succeeding, the first time and only the first time, in having him dip his thumb further into me, but in the long run just causing me more grief as he pulls his hand completely away. I follow, hopelessly with my eyes as that magical hand goes up to his face and he licks it, grinning to me.

“You know, I think this tastes better when you’re desperate.”

“More then I already am??” I demand in disbelief, making him laugh. Oh god, how I’d love to be dripping with our cum now and not grinding against his lower stomach uselessly!

“Kidding! You taste the best always.”

Smirking, I try to compose myself, and reach down between us to stroke his cock, finding it just as hard as I am wet. My smirk grows, when he freezes in reaction to the tiniest touch to his aching, sensitive rod, and loses the smug smile. “Don’t pretend like you’re any better off, city boy.” Yes, my legs are shaking and I’m so hot I forget we’re in the middle of a cold lake right now, but its so hot to tease him. And watch the cogs in his mind turn from feeling superior, to just wanting to penetrate me.

Finally, after teasing him so much with my hand that his dick, which is perfect in length and thickness, twitches under the water I look up at him with wide, innocent eyes despite just teasing him to nearly his end. “Be gentle with me?”

“Ha,” And then with seemingly super speed, he brings me to him and stuffs his desperate cock into my waiting pussy, fitting like a lock and key and starts pounding into me with every bit of desire there is in him then, and I tighten my legs around his hips, eventually meeting him hallway and keening at the feeling of the base of his cock hitting my pussy lips every time he comes for me. Once we’ve found the perfect rhythm, where he’s rubbing all the right parts as deeply as he can, he helps my efforts by pulling my leg up higher to his waist, allowing for more angle and making us both breath heavier with the pleasure.

The movements we make create vibrations in the water around us, adding a majestic sensation to the already delicious feeling of my boyfriend’s cock buried deep in me, and the sound of his breathing heavy in my hair. “Ahhh, Trender… “

“I know, I got it,” He breaths, tugging my other thigh higher on his hips to access me at a tantalising angle that has breath caught in my throat for a moment because oh fuck, he makes me feel so good. My hips press against his and my head falls back. When my eyes crack open I can see the tree tops above us, beautiful. “5 seconds?”

Oh, jeez. “Three.”

He chuckles although its nearly breathless from pleasure, but 2 seconds later his cock has brought me to an intense orgasm, releasing cum all around his dick and feeling my pussy lips clench around him. This causes a satisfied shudder to take over him before he connects his lips to my neck and his own essence floods me. We both relax together into post-orgasm bliss before he slips his softening cock back out me, simultaneously freeing our mess and making me feel lovely and empty again, as the lake water laps at my pussy and washes away the solution.

My eyes are closed, and I’m just enjoying the feeling of peace after such a fuck when Trender puts his hands on me again, my arms and comes close to press a kiss to my forehead. I blush and smile, opening my eyes to the sweet gesture to find him grinning softly down at me… which makes me blush even more. “Dunno what you’re looking at buddy. You’re the breathtaking thing around here.”

He laughs. “Sure, Y/N.”

“Um… “I look over at our discarded clothes, and logic starts to come over me as I do. I look back up at him. “How are we gonna, uh, get back to the mansion?”

Another kiss to the forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

~~~

A couple hours later, I’m so exhausted. But I still don’t want to leave the lake, just laying here on the dock wrapped in one of the towels Trender brought us as he somehow still swims around, is too nice a time waster. I stare up at the top of the forest and feel the gentle breeze brush on my now dried skin, the air on my bare legs and listen to the water underneath me and just feel at peace. It’s the most relaxed I’ve felt in forever, work having been kicking my ass -both our asses, actually. Which is why we took this trip, - for weeks now.

We were worried this wouldn’t be relaxing at all, going to Slender’s. But when he said we would have the forest to ourselves for the week, it was too good of a proposition to pass up. And I am glad that we did. This is just what I needed. All my troubles and stresses just fly away in the breeze. Whether that’s because this forest is beautiful or because of Trender’s decision to have us swim naked, I don’t know.

Its noon and the sunlight’s brighter than ever when Trender finally gets tired and joins me on the dock, just lying down beside me and wetting the wood beneath him. “Ahhh,” He sighs as he does so, breaking what has been silent of voice for a while now. I smile at having him beside me and lift my head to put a hand underneath it, saving the back of my skull from the harsh wood, now. “Do you think our bosses miss us?”

“Don’t care, and neither should you. We’re having vacation!”

“Yeah, I only said that to hear those words. They sound good.”

“They do,” I smile, rolling over to face him, arm tucked under my ear. “Hey, I don’t think I’ve had this great a time since fashion week last year- this year just wasn’t as good.”

“Yeah, last year was great,” Trender sighs, sounding utterly at peace- and happy, being under the dappling light of the forest, tired but content, and remembering another fun time that never fails to lighten his mood in the first place.

Damn, he takes my breath away.

#Trenderman x Reader Oneshot #Trenderman #Oneshot #Creepypasta #Smut

64 notes · View notes

is0gild · 4 years

Text

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 20

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 10,096

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

Turns out once you've smooched a guy on the nose, things like holding his hand and other such minor displays of affection no longer seem so daunting.

Sure, even as I reached for his hand now, some small amount of mental self-cheerleading was still required in order to work myself up to it. And okay, the tiny flutter in my chest when my fingers brushed against his almost had me pulling back faster than you could say 'emotion-phobia.' But I didn't. And hey, this was way more than I could have brought myself to do even just a few short days ago. This was kind of huge for me, so I think I'd earned the right to take a little pride in my headway so far. Who knew, I just might pull off my half of this whole pretend dating deal yet.

Lea glanced down at my touch. Then he grinned, pulling my hand up to press a soft kiss to the back of it before setting it back down on the dinner table, his thumb trailing light circles along my knuckles. Picking right back up where he'd left off in the conversation, he said, "Oh yeah, GUMMI ships got all sorts of badass tech going on now, the likes of which would put both Star Trek and Star Wars to shame. Super, ultra, mega-laser cannons, impenetrable force fields, swarms of nanobots that can repair any and all damage just like that," he snapped his fingers. Lea then planted an elbow on the table and leaned forward to add in a conspiratorial whisper, "They even have defense systems in the form of giant, exploding space duckies."

Saïx gave him a flat look from where he sat on the other side of the table from us. "Not true."

"Sure it is!" Lea chirped, straightening back up in his chair. "I mean, how else are they gonna fight all those aliens out there?"

Propping my cheek in my free palm, I cocked an eyebrow at him as I felt an upward tug at one corner of my lips. "Aliens? As in little green men?"

"No, no, that'd just be silly," he waved off with a scoff. "As in lil shadow men. Creepy bastards with big, yellow eyes and twitchy antennae." Still holding my hand, he brought both of his own up to either side of his head, miming said antennae with his index fingers.

Closing his eyes, Saïx gave a low sigh into his wine glass. "Also not true."

Lea shrugged, "Oh sure, they're not all like that. There was that blue one they found over in Hawaii, what was its code name again… Experiment 626? Yeah, the government got that one covered up real fast. And don't even get me started on the total dreadnought that is Schwarzgeist lurking out there somewhere in the night sky that absolutely obliterated the USS Endymion."

"The sheer amount of not true you are spouting off right now is positively staggering," Saïx deadpanned, eyelids drooping as he dabbed his napkin to his mouth. "You really need to stop staying up late every night reading all those conspiracy theories out there on the internet."

Lips curling into an evil smirk, Lea said, "But how else am I gonna royally piss you off so much?"

That earned him a small scowl from his brother.

This was basically it. The whole evening in a nutshell from the moment I'd stepped foot into Lea's apartment. Like me, it seemed that Saïx was not much of a talker, at least not amongst strangers. Unlike me however, it appeared to have less to do with social anxiety and more like he just plain wasn't a fan of the whole talking thing and so only did it when he deemed it absolutely necessary. Which I could totally respect. It was just that between the two of us, it had a tendency to leave a bit of a void in the conversation every now and then. Luckily, it was void that Lea was only too happy to fill.

Saïx had been the one to cook dinner. It seemed that that was part of the breakdown of chores in their living arrangement: he usually handled supper while breakfast was Lea's job. Saïx and I had already emptied our plates by now while Lea was still working on his, seeing as how he was otherwise preoccupied with talking a mile a minute. The meal had been a very nice chicken bruschetta pasta paired with a red wine from a fancy looking bottle. The latter I'd thought to be a bit of an odd choice, as I didn't picture Lea being much of a wine drinker. But there he was, sipping away at it, pinkie raised as he did so for an added bit of flair. I guess he just wasn't picky and would drink whatever was put in front of him. I, on the other hand, had decided not to partake. Would rather keep a clear head during this bit of subterfuge we were playing out in front of Saïx.

The point was, there was wine. And wine equaled a wine tipsy Lea. And a wine tipsy Lea, as I was discovering, equaled a chatty Lea. The boy was already chatty to begin with, but this was an all new level. This was chatty on steroids. Needless to say, he was having no trouble whatsoever keeping the conversation rolling.

"Why are we even discussing the GUMMI space program again?" Saïx asked in his bored monotone.

Lea drove his fork down into his pasta, twirling it around. "You know you're always a total slut for outer space, man. The moon and constellations and all that crap is your jam."

"Yes, but our guest," he gestured towards me, "might not find the topic nearly so interesting."

Trailing a finger along the rim of my still full wine glass, I said, "Actually, I've been fascinated by the research their lead mechanical scientist Cid Highwind has been doing in the field of warping technology. With his help, it might not be long before our ships can travel to other solar systems."

Both men just blinked silently at me for a moment.

What? So I liked to keep up on current events by reading a news article every now and again online. It really was not a big deal.

Saïx was the one to speak up first. "Yes. It's said Highwind is hoping to have a working prototype in less than five years."

Do my eyes deceive me? Was that the hint of a smile ghosting over Saïx's mouth?

Oh wow, I think I'd managed to score some points.

...not that it mattered, of course. Since this was only a fake relationship, after all, so getting in the brother's good graces didn't really mean all that much to me. Not one bit. Nope.

Nuzzling his nose to my ear, Lea beamed, "Hell yeah! My baby knows shit!"

"More than you do at least," Saïx sniffed blandly.

Expression relaxing into a sly grin now, he shot back, "I know enough to know about an astral sea monster whose sheer mass is gargantuan enough to blot out the very sun, the terror of the cosmos, eater of spacecrafts and destroyer of worlds, the dreaded galactic space whale," he paused for dramatic effect before splaying a hand out before him as he intoned in hushed reverence, "...Monstro."

Saïx grumbled under his breath and facepalmed.

"By my count, that's the eighth time he's done that tonight," Lea stage whispered to me. "Just five more and I'll have beat my all-time record."

I gave a low hum of amusement. "I suppose it's important to have goals in life."

He snorted, returning his attention to his food as he scooped a forkful into his mouth. I noticed that he'd incidentally stained one side of his lips in the process and I had a brief flashback to a familiar scene of Sora and Kairi. Of the pair of them sitting in the food court and Kairi kissing away a similarly located blotch on her boyfriend. Now that right there had been a seriously advanced dating technique and one I was in no way ready to try out myself. You kidding me? I was still very much a beginner here and the very idea of trying to pull off such a maneuver already had my ears turning pink. That said, a newbie like me still had some options, especially with my newfound ability to make the first move and actually touch my (fake) boyfriend without completely spazzing out.

I tucked in my lower lip, hesitating briefly as my pulse thudded a little more loudly against my eardrums. But then I slowly lifted my hand.

Lea visibly stiffened as he felt my thumb brush at the corner of his mouth, wiping the smudge away. As I began to retract my arm however, he dropped his fork to snatch my wrist and stop me. I arched an eyebrow at him. He smiled back with hooded eyes. Then he gently tugged my thumb up to his lips and licked the sauce off it.

Breath hitching, I yanked my hand free of his grasp. His smile just turned smug as he winked at me.

Apparently, Wine Tipsy Lea had even less boundaries than usual.

As I wiped my thumb with a napkin and ducked my head to hide my boiling cheeks, I heard Saïx mutter, "One has to wonder what a woman of your obvious intelligence and sophistication even sees in an asinine clown such as my brother."

"Well let me think about it," Lea's eyes danced as he folded his hands together, steepling his index fingers so the joined tips touched his mouth. "Perhaps it's my devilish charm and debonair good looks?"

"Oh come now," he said cooly with another sip of his wine, "if you're going to be making things up, you should attempt to make them at least halfway credible."

"He makes me laugh," I suddenly heard myself saying. As both pairs of eyes turned towards me, I immediately felt self-conscious. I mean seriously, what a stupid, cliché thing to say. But that didn't make it any less true, any less… meaningful. I wasn't someone who laughed a lot. In fact, before I'd run out on my wedding, I could probably count the number of times I'd laughed in the last year on one hand.

Fidgeting with my fingers, I pushed forward, "He's sweet… and thoughtful. And genuine. He's not afraid to be himself. And because of that, I find it easier to be… myself... around him." Another thing that did not come easy to me.

As Lea slipped an arm around my shoulders so he could pull me closer and plant a swift peck to my temple, Saïx gave a soft harrumph, "Well, I guess there's no accounting for taste."

"Psst, Saïx," Lea lowered his voice, bending forward over the table and cupping a hand to his mouth. "The moon landing was faked."

With a heavy sigh through his nose, he merely rose from his chair and started gathering the plates and silverware together. As he reached for mine, I protested, "No, that's okay, I can take care of it."

"You're the guest," he said simply as he swiped it up in one smooth motion.

"Best not argue, otherwise he might unleash his berserker wrath on you," Lea sniggered to me. However, when Saïx next took his plate away (still with food on it), he snapped, "Hey! I wasn't done with that!"

"Then you should have eaten faster," he responded dryly.

He stuck his tongue out at him. "Oh yeah? Well the earth is flat." As Saïx turned towards the kitchen, the plates stacked in his hand "accidentally" smacked into Lea's forehead, forcing a small grunt out of him.

I hid a grin behind my hand as Lea pressed his fingertips to the fresh sore spot with a soft tch. Then he downed the rest of his wine as he stood up himself, gathering the other glasses between his fingers on one hand while balling up napkins together in the other. He looked at me, face brightening, "Why don'tcha go on and take a seat in the living room. I'll join ya after I finish helping Saïx clean up."

"Alright," I nodded. He used a hand (the one stuffed full of napkins) to pull my seat out as I stood and gave him a tiny smile before moving past him. Reaching the blue sofa, I moved some of its mismatched pillows to clear a space and took a seat on the far end, tugging the hem of my dress down to cover my knees as I listened to the sound of running water and clinking dishware coming from the kitchen.

I didn't have to wait long before the boys were rejoining me. Lea came bounding over first, plopping himself unceremoniously down onto the couch with me.

Leaving one whole cushion space between us.

I furrowed my brow over at him. However, I did not have to wonder for long at his unexpected seating choice.

For next thing I knew, he'd flopped over onto his side and was using my lap as a makeshift pillow.

My eyes widened and I jolted, one hand going to my chest. His cheek nestled against my leg as one hand went to my knee, his thumb tracing lightly along its top curve over the fabric. "Mmm… you're comfy!" he sighed contentedly.

It was official. Wine Tipsy Lea had absolutely zero boundaries.

Halfway into taking a seat into a maroon armchair to our right, Saïx stopped. Then he straightened back up to his full height with a tired, drawn-out huff. "Perhaps some coffee would be in order."

I gradually relaxed, my eyes crinkling as I glanced down at Lea with a resigned smile. He was like a kitten cuddling into my lap. A really big kitten. I half expected him to start purring. "Perhaps that might be for the best," I murmured in agreement.

My eyes lifted long enough to follow Saïx as he made his way back over towards their kitchen, long blue hair swaying behind him as he went. When I looked back down, I realized with a tiny start that one of my hands had taken it upon itself to start lightly stroking Lea's hair.

Huh. How did that cheeky little devil get there?

I should stop.

But it was just so very... soft. Softer than I remembered. So soft that it felt like I was doing something wrong, something… forbidden by daring to touch it.

...okay, I really, really needed to stop.

...ten seconds. Just ten more measly, innocent seconds, then I'd stop.

There was a low, pleased hum in Lea's throat as my fingers continued to slowly run through his fiery locks. Then he rolled over onto his back, capturing my hand with his to press a gentle kiss into my palm. It tickled and my heart stuttered as I felt a familiar heat creeping up my neck. He... did know Saïx was no longer nearby to witness this little production he was putting on... right? Then again, maybe Lea was too far gone by now to realize his brother had left the room and so was still on boyfriend autopilot. Cradling my hand to his chest just over his heart, his other came up to start fiddling with the end of my braid from where it hung forward over my shoulder as he grinned up at me. "Wanna know?"

My head tipped to one side, "...know what?"

"You said what you see in me, so now it's my turn. Wanna know what I see in you?"

I blinked at him. Then my eyes briefly flicked over to Saïx just beyond the island counter where he was filling a coffee maker with water. Could he hear us all the way over there? Hopefully… this might be good for show. With a low snort, I planted my elbow on the armrest next to me, propping my cheek against my knuckles as I dropped my gaze back to Lea. "Sure, why not? Go for it."

This should be good.

His grin twitched wider. "You're kooky."

...well I certainly wasn't disappointed.

Though that wasn't quite the word I would have expected out of him. In fact, not the word I would have ever expected out of anyone when used to describe me.

One of my eyebrows quirked. "I'm… kooky?"

He nodded, "Mm-hm! Most people don't know it, but it's there. Way, way deep down in here," he tapped a finger to a spot just below my collarbone before going back to toying with my braid. "Ya try to keep it hidden. Don't like people seeing that side of you for some reason. But I've caught glimpses of it. I like it. Makes me feel like I'm in on a secret no one else is. And you're fun. Hella smart, too. And so goddamn pretty."

"That so?" I muttered, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

Wine Tipsy Lea was laying it on a bit thick.

Still… I was smiling despite myself.

"And that. Right there," he tapped a finger to my lips. "Your smile is gorgeous. Was the first thing about you that had me head over heels. I love being the one to put it there. Love being the one that can make you laugh."

Did I say a bit thick? Try instead a lot thick. Too thick. Like two metric tons too thick. Jeez, perhaps I'd be better off hoping Saïx couldn't actually hear all this. Even he might think it a bit too much to be believable.

Lea's eyes softened as he continued to stare up at me, his hand shifting over from my mouth to lightly graze his curled fingers against my cheek, leaving tiny tingles in their wake. "...I wish we were real."

Insert record screech.

E-E-Excuse me?!

My heart stopped. Like legit full on stopped. There were at least three full seconds there where if a medical examiner had checked my pulse, they would have probably declared me dead.

Lea froze, his whole body locking up. His eyes grew round and his face blanched, his expression now a perfect mirror of what I imagined my own must have looked like in that exact moment as he seemingly and immediately realized his mistake.

Now I definitely hoped Saïx couldn't overhear us! There seemed to be no reaction from over in the kitchen beyond the sound of water beginning to boil. Which was good. Maybe our cover wasn't blown and-

...and so not the point right now! The point was… was…

Ex-friggin'-scuse me?!

Wish we were real? What did that even mean? Real what? Did he mean that he wanted… that he wished he and I… that we were a… an actual, honest to god coupl-

No! No, I must have misheard. Yeah, that had to be it! He hadn't said… er… what I thought he'd said. No, what he'd probably actually said was, uh… was he wished we were… seals. Yeah, that's probably what it was! Seals were neat! And… and cute! I wouldn't blame him for wanting to be one, especially in his less than totally sober state! Or… or… he could have said that he… he fished… for Neil. Who was Neil, one might wonder? Got me! But you know what? Good for Lea, helping his ol' pal Neil out with fishing like that. Nice guy, that Lea. Such a giver, such a-

"TORS!" Lea suddenly shouted, practically making me jump out of my skin as he shot up off my lap and scooted all the way over to sit at the opposite end of the couch. He had a hand clasped over his nose and mouth, doing a poor job of hiding his reddened (wine flushed?) face. "Realtors! I wish we were realtors, is what I was trying to say!" he hastily clarified, shooting a weak chuckle my way.

I stared at him blankly.

Wha…? Realtors…?

Apparently, he wasn't done. "Yeah! You know, one of those power couples you hear about all the time! Partners in everything, from romance to real estate! That's some real lovey-dovey crap right there, don'tcha think? The epitome of passion! The sappiest dream to ever sap! The-"

"What inanity are you babbling on about now?" Saïx returned, causing me for the second time in as many minutes to nearly die of cardiac arrest. He was carrying two steaming mugs, one in each hand.

"Nothing! Not a damn thing! Nope! Total nonsense!" Lea said quickly, snatching up one of the cups and rapidly blowing on the coffee a couple times before knocking back the whole thing in one go. He pulled the cup away from his lips with a wince, probably suffering from a tongue that was now at least mildly burnt. Then he plastered on a grin, "You know how I get when I'm lost in the sauce, man. I start rambling off total bullshit that I don't even mean. Never. Mm-mm, nope, not one bit! Every word of it? Total garbage. Yup! Heh…"

I flinched back from the second warm mug that was suddenly being offered me. I'd barely had a chance to hold up my hand and shake my head before Lea was grabbing that one too, handling this one with smaller, more cautious sips.

...realtors.

Huh.

Okay, sure, why not?

Not like it was any crazier than any of the other explanations I'd come up with myself. Especially when you considered Lea was more than a little buzzed. People said nonsensical things all the time while under the influence. I'd know, I'd seen Anna in a state of three sheets to the wind on more than one occasion. You should have heard half the things she'd blathered on about at the time… adventures through magical winter wonderlands, talking snowmen, singing rock people, whole castles made of-

Shoot, Saïx was talking to me. Or rather, had been talking to me for a while and now seemed to be expecting some sort of reply. Still a little rattled, I scrounged together a flimsy but polite smile, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

One thin eyebrow arched ever so slightly at me as he cradled a fuming mug between his hands. Apparently he'd gone back at some point to get one for himself as well. "...I heard you were present during one of my sleepwalking episodes a couple weeks back. I hope I didn't give you too much of a fright."

"Oh! No! No, it's-" I got distracted as I felt Lea gingerly inching back over to sit beside me. Probably trying to salvage some semblance of the relationship pretense. However, his affections had become somewhat subdued, restricted now to only resting an arm along the sofa cushions behind my head and his knee brushing against mine as he continued to nurse the coffee. Regathering my train of thought, I tried again, "It's, uh… it's alright. Not your fault. Nor was I bothered by it at all. Just had to stay out of your way, is all."

"Still I-"

"Ya know what?" Lea suddenly piped up, plonking the now empty mug down onto the coffee table right next to the first one. "Sorry guys, but I think we gotta call it an early night! I'm beat! And I mean woof! Dog-tired!"

My eyebrows knit together as I glanced over at him. "...but you just chugged two full cups of coffee."

...what are you doing, you fool, shut up! He was probably trying to rescue us by putting a merciful end to what, as of the last five minutes, had officially become one royal disaster of an evening!

He bat a hand through the air, "That? Please, that was just to help sober my drunk ass up! Trust me, caffeine doesn't do jackshit to me when it comes to staying awake."

Saïx's mouth had settled into a flat line as his green gaze shifted back and forth between Lea and me. "Very well," he said finally, closing his eyes as he raised his cup to his lips, "I presume my noise canceling headphones will be a necessity while I work tonight."

I frowned. "Noise canceling…?"

Lea cleared his throat and gave a sheepish chuckle while scratching a spot behind his ear. "He, uh… thinks you're spending the night."

"Oh…" I said slowly before his words had a chance to fully sink in. Then they did. "Oh!" I repeated more loudly, eyes widening as I rocketed up to my feet, "You mean sex!"

...what the actual frick, mouth?!

"Which is a thing!" Apparently, I was only getting started. Panic mode was in full effect now. "A thing d-dating couples do! Which… which we are! Dating, that is. And a couple! Can't, uh… can't forget that part." Dear lord, where's a gag when you need one? "Which, I don't know w-why you would. Because clearly we're a couple. Yup! That's us!" Yeesh, at least when Lea had been yammering off nonsense, he'd had wine coursing through his veins. What was my excuse? "A couple! A couple who, ah…" Oh no. "...who have, er…" Don't you say it. Don't you dare say it. "...who have sex!"

I winced.

Just shoot me. Shoot me now.

"Oh yeah, lots and lots of it!" Oh great. There was more. "All the time! In all s-sorts of, um… places. My room. His room. Oh look," I pointed both my hands towards Lea's door, "there's his room now!" Make an excuse to leave. Any excuse. " I think we'll go in there now and make with all the sex!" Not that excuse! Pause, followed by tiny, nervous laughter from me. "Yup."

Then before I knew it, I'd bolted into said room, door crashing shut behind me. I pressed my back to it, clutching both hands to my mouth as I hyperventilated and trembled, eyes huge and unblinking as I stared off into space, registering absolutely zilch of what was in front of me now.

What.

Did.

Just.

Do?!

You know what, cheeks? I won't even try and stop you this time. You go right on ahead and blush your nonexistent little hearts out. Fry my face to a friggin' crisp, for all I care. I won't judge. You have every right after… that. Whatever the heck that even was just now!

Oh gosh, had I really just gone on and on about, hrm… intimate relations? In front of Lea's brother? That... had to be... the most spectacular case of anxiety-induced word vomit to date from me yet! What was wrong with me? Who does that? No, seriously, I demand answers this instant, what in the everliving-

A soft knock at the door made me yelp and jump away, whipping around to face it, heart trying to jackhammer its way out of my chest. I was greeted by my own frazzled reflection staring back at me from the full-length mirror hanging there. My face could have been mistaken for a ripe, oversized tomato.

"...El?" Lea's muffled voice came through from the other side. "You might've, uh… kinda forgot something."

A crease formed between my eyebrows. Forgot something? No, I don't think so. I glanced down at myself, hands patting over my dress. Phone in pocket? Check. Shoes on feet? Check. No purse, I hadn't used one tonight. No coat, I'd thought it too warm out for it. My gaze settled on the door once more, eyes scrunching. "What did I forget?"

"...me?"

Oh.

Fudge.

After that, ah… stirring speech I'd just given out there a moment ago, it would certainly help drive the point home if I had him in here with me, wouldn't it?

After all, it took two to, ahem... tango.

As I reached a hand towards the doorknob, I realized I hadn't even locked it. Lea must have only been knocking to be considerate. A consideration I greatly appreciated, especially when you take into account that this was in fact his room that I'd taken sanctuary in. Taking a deep breath and expelling it slowly in one last ditch effort to calm my nerves, my still shaking fingers closed around the knob and twisted.

I cracked the door ajar about an inch, just barely enough for me to peek one eye through. Arms crossed and one shoulder propped against the doorframe, Lea tilted his head with a tiny smile, "Hey."

My gaze fell to my feet for a moment before flicking back up to meet his. "...hi."

"Can I come in?"

I hesitated for another heartbeat then nodded, pulling the door open further and taking a couple steps back. He turned his head to one side, calling out a quick, "Night, man!" to Saïx before walking in and closing the door.

Ah, awkward silence. Ye hath returned. Never could stay away from me for long, could you?

"So…" I hugged myself and decided to get into a staring contest with the floor. "...think he likes me?"

Lea snerked, folding one arm behind his back, hand hooking his opposite elbow as he leaned back against the mirror hanging from his door. "You kidding? He adores you. Practically ready to call ya sister-in-law."

I attempted a smile. It came across as more of a grimace. "Even after I was… all…"

"...smooth and cool as a cucumber?" he supplied, his voice chipper. "Absolutely! And you said you couldn't lie," he teased. "You handled that one like a total pro!"

...oh. Wow, he was right. Not about the "pro" part, obviously, but that I had lied. For the first time since this whole charade started, I'd told a straight out, bald-faced lie. It had been a monumental failure, to be sure, but hey… we all had to start somewhere. Guess I had to take my silver linings wherever I could.

"Gah, I should have just made up some sort of… of excuse or something." I started pacing slowly, eyes still downcast as I brought one hand up to chew on my thumbnail. "Said I couldn't stay because I had an opening shift tomorrow."

He shook his head, "Saïx knows you work at the mall with me, so he also knows I woulda happily driven ya over from here, even at the crack of dawn."

Frowning, I tried again, "Well then, I could have said that… ah! That you had an early test tomorrow so I shouldn't be keeping you up late!"

"Nah, he knows me too well," he smirked, waggling his eyebrows. "Knows I'd never let a lil thing like that stop me."

I blinked. Then I buried my face in my hands with a groan. "Oh god, I can never face him again. Not after that." Dragging my palms down to peek out between my fingers, I grumbled, "I'm guessing it's safe to assume he's retracted his 'woman of obvious intelligence and sophistication' comment." Ha. Showed what Saïx knew.

Shrugging one shoulder, he laughed, "I wouldn't worry 'bout it too much. Just another side of your kookiness that I mentioned earlier. 'Sides, he knows what a nervous, jumpy creature you are."

Up quirked one eyebrow. "...he does?"

"Well, he does now."

...fair point.

One that did not make me feel better.

"And look at the bright side," Lea continued. "It's good this happened here rather than in front of your folks! Now you'll be better prepared to handle it the next time it comes up."

My lips twisted sourly, "I guess so." As bad as this already was, it would have spelled utter disaster if that little freakout had occurred during the upcoming weekend with my parents. We're talking one epic catastrophe here, like meteor-taking-out-the-dinosaurs kind of catastrophe. Then again, I didn't particularly see this exact set of circumstances arising while I was around my family. Still… best to be on the safe side. I wrinkled my brow, "Better prepared… how?"

"Ah, well…" he pursed his lips to one side, tapping a finger against his other arm. "For starters… and I'm just spitballing here, but next time you could maybe just, ya know… not say the word sex repeatedly? If at all? I'm thinking this is 'less is more' kinda situation."

"...good call."

"Heh," he paused, rubbing his shoulder. "So... looks like we're bunkmates."

I lowered my gaze once more and brought my curled fingers up to my mouth, covering my deepening frown. "Yeah… looks like…"

I wish we were real.

Gah, why was I still even thinking about that?! Lea had already explained it, hadn't he? Realtors. The word he had actually said, had been in the middle of saying, was realtors. It was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just the ramblings of a guy who'd had a little too much to drink. Why was I still stuck on this?

My face must have been an open book. "Listen, I… meant what I said earlier," he spoke abruptly and my eyes darted up to lock on his. He averted his gaze and scratched his cheek, "You can't take anything I say too seriously when I've been drinking. Often my brain is just stringing random words together and spitting out the first arbitrary bullshit it can come up with. Like a toddler that's just learned to talk, regurgitating words it doesn't even understand just cuz it heard it from someone else at some point. Half the time, the things I say when I'm liquored up don't even make any sense." His eyes settled on me once more, this time accompanied by a weak smile. "So just don't be too… concerned about any gibberish that came blurting outta my stupid drunk mouth, 'kay? And you won't hear another peep of it tonight. Those two coffees are kicking in fast, so I'm much more clear headed now."

I tugged at my braid before folding my arms tightly together once more. "...okay."

And now onward to Act 1, Scene 2 of the award-winning and critically acclaimed musical: Awkward Silence.

"I have a lizard!"

My head rocked back at Lea's sudden declaration out of nowhere, both eyebrows shooting up my forehead. "...a lizard?"

He nodded eagerly, grinning big now. "Yeah! Wanna see? Come take a look!" He moved off to his left towards one corner of the room and for the first time I realized that there was a large glass terrarium situated on a long, low table in that spot. Lea squatted down next to it, waving me over to join him. I obliged and when I got close enough, he took hold of my hand and tugged me down into a crouch beside him. He squinted into the enclosure for a second, scanning all the rocks and plants inside before, "Ah-ha!" He pointed, tapping his finger against the glass, "There he is!"

And indeed, there he was, curled up inside a small, hollowed out log and blinking back at us. He was a tiny thing, all big eyes and blue skin except for the purple markings running down his back. "Oh wow," I slowly smiled, "you really do have a lizard. Why didn't you say anything last time I was here?"

"Cuz 'come into my bedroom so I can introduce you to my lizard' sounds a lil sketch, don'tcha think?" he chuckled, waggling his pointer finger up and down at his pet in greeting.

A soft snort. "Yeah, that might have earned you a dubious look." The critter crawled out into the open now, giving us a curious look. "Can I hold him?"

Lea flashed some dimple, "Course!" Straightening up, he moved the terrarium's lamps to one side before sliding out the lid and reaching inside, mumbling, "C'mere, Bruni." Picking the reptile up, he then offered him to me, "Now, the lil guy's usually shy at first but warms up quick and can be a bit of a flirt."

I stood as well, holding one hand out. Bruni cautiously put one stubby-toed foot on my fingers, eyeing me warily before fully walking the rest of the way into my palm. He was small enough to fit perfectly in it. Then he cocked his head up at me. I cocked mine back then hummed a low laugh, stroking a finger along the top of his head. That seemed to be all it took to win him over, for he then bellyflopped into a cuddle against my palm before rolling over onto his back.

"Bit of a flirt indeed," I murmured, rubbing his tummy with my fingertip. "What kind is he?"

"Salamander. Which, I know, technically not a lizard. But feels simpler most of the time just telling people that's what he is." He fell silent for a second, eyes crinkling as he watched us. Then he walked past me, saying, "Hey, welcome to my room by the way!"

I turned to face him and for the first time got a real good look at the place. If I had to pick one word to describe it, that word would be pandemonium.

Clothes were strewn about everywhere, covering floor and furniture alike - pretty much anywhere conceivable besides actually inside a dresser. Bookshelves stacked high with no rhyme or reason, textbooks next to movie DVDs (from action thriller to cornball classics) next to game CD cases next to vinyl records. Walls and ceiling plastered with posters, mostly of classic rock bands, but there was the occasional renegade: one here in which a dangerous looking man posed with an Assassin's Creed logo across the bottom, another one there depicting a grim reaper character dual-wielding sickles that looked to be from another video game of some sort. A queen-sized bed with black and red sheets buried beneath a mess of paper and more textbooks, along with a closed laptop and his shoulder bag tossed carelessly on top of it all.

And that was just barely scratching the chaotic surface. Needless to say, it was a lot to take in.

"Pardon the mess," he gave a rueful chuckle, scrambling to snatch clothes up off the carpet here and there to chuck into the laundry basket residing in his open closet, just under a black, full-length coat hanging from the rung in there. "Wasn't expecting any overnight visitors."

"It's, uh…" So many adjectives, so little time. As I searched for a word, I felt Bruni crawling up my sleeve. I kept an eye on him to make sure he didn't slip, but otherwise let him do his own thing. At last, I settled on, "...big."

"Yup! I got the masters! Comes complete with its own bathroom and everything," he jerked a thumb towards a second closed door on the other side of the room. By now, Bruni had found his way onto my shoulder and was snuggling into the crook of my neck. My fingers came up to pet along his spine. Narrowing his eyes on the salamander, Lea went on, "Surprisingly, Saïx prefers the smaller, cozier room. He's a minimalist, so not like he needs all that much space anyhow. Which works out for me, especially since I used to, er… heh, shall we say, host more sleepovers?"

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth, but whatever I'd been about to say was forever lost.

For that's when Bruni did it.

He took the plunge.

Straight down into the neckline of my dress.

I yelped, arms crossing over my bosom. Lea's eyes widened, "Motherfu-" He lunged forward, hands outstretched before him like he had every intention of going down in there after Bruni. Then Lea froze, seemed to think better of it and instead folded his arms together, shoving his hands into his armpits as he looked away. "You, uh…" he cleared his throat, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, "...you okay?"

"Yeah. Just tickles a bit," I wrinkled my nose, trying not to squirm as I felt the little guy climbing around against my chest. Thankfully, it wasn't long before he moved over to start making his way down my sleeve. I gave my arm a gentle shake to help speed his progress along and eventually he came tumbling out into my palm.

"Sorry 'bout that," Lea scooped him back out of my hand into his, using the other to ruffle his hair with a tiny, bashful smile. "I know I said he was a flirt, but he's never been this brazenly forward before."

Shaking my head with a snerk, I said, "It's fine, really. Don't worry about it."

Walking back over to the terrarium, he turned a scowl onto the salamander. "And what do you have to say for yourself, young man?" Bruni just answered with a lizard grin, flicking his tongue out to lick his own eyeball. "Smug lil shit," Lea grumbled, setting him back down inside his home.

One corner of my lips twitching up, I turned to take another look around his room. Despite Lea's hasty tidying up, his carpet was still a disaster zone of shirts and other garments. As I began to carefully navigate it, I asked, "So how are we doing this?"

"Doing…?" I could hear the frown in his voice.

I looked back at him. "Sleeping arrangements?"

"Oh! That's easy!" Having now set the lid and lamps back into their rightful places, Lea walked towards me with his grin resurfacing. "You get the bed, I'll take the floor."

My eyelids drooped. "You can't sleep on the floor, that's ridiculous. It's your room."

"Exactly!" he started clearing the papers up off his comforter, gathering them all together and tucking them away inside one of the textbooks. "It's my room, so I'll sleep wherever I want in it! And tonight, the floor's looking pretty damn good!"

I huffed. "Enough with the chivalry already. I'll sleep on the floor."

He picked up his laptop and made his way over to a large mound of clothes. Oh wait. There was a desk hiding under there, or so I realized as soon as he started shoving all the shirts and whatnot aside. Placing the laptop down on top of it, he then shrugged back at me, "Hey, if that'll make ya happy, more power to ya. Doesn't change the fact that I will not be taking my siesta in that bed tonight."

A low harrumph in my throat. "Fine."

"Fine," he agreed, now opposite the bed from me as he hung his bag from a wall hook there. Then he squinted one eye at me, "So it's settled then. We're both sleeping on the floor. Like the couple of rational, mature, grown-ass adults that we are. While the perfectly good bed goes to waste. Cuz that makes total sense."

I shot him a deadpan look. "Alright, fine then. Bruni gets the bed."

He slapped his forehead, dragging his hand down his face with an exasperated laugh. "C'mon, El, will you just take the bed please? I won't be able to fall asleep if I know you're just curled up on the floor."

"Sounds like not my problem," I crossed my arms with a smirk. Oh-ho, that's right. I could be stubborn when I wanted to be.

"Woman! Just take the freaking bed before I throw you in the damn thing!" both his hands gestured in mild annoyance at said bed.

Scoffing, I turned my head to one side. "Please, it's the twenty-first century, your neanderthal tactics won't work on me."

Green eyes flashing, he said in a low, even voice, "They will if I make good on 'em."

My gaze narrowed on him now. "You wouldn't dare."

He bent forward, fists planted on the mattress as he gave me a tiny glare across it. "Wanna bet?"

My legs turned traitor and defected, sitting me down on the bed so quick, you would have missed the motion if you'd blinked.

"There now," his face immediately lit up like the first rays of sunlight at dawn. "Was that so hard?"

I made a little hmph in my throat, tucking my legs beside me as I smoothed my dress over my knees with as much dignity as I could muster. "I'll have you know that I chose of my own free will to take the bed tonight and it had nothing to do with any thinly veiled threats that may or may not have been made on your part." I unzipped my ankle boots, letting them fall to the carpet below with a couple of heavy thuds. "I mean, I am the guest after all, it's only proper etiquette that I sleep in the bed. I'm just making sure you're adequately performing your role as the host."

A soft snerk came from his nose as he kicked off his own shoes and spread his arms wide to give me a mock bow, "Well, thank you, Miss Manners, I dunno what I'd ever do without you."

"You're welcome," I sniffed lightly. It was nice of him to let me have this. I then felt the bed quake beneath me as Lea flopped down beside me, stretching out comfortably and cushioning his head with his arms. I blinked down at him. "...I'm sorry, did that conversation just end differently than I thought it did?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, "Hm?"

"Thought you were taking the floor."

"I am, but that's not until lights out. Right now, we're just chilling!" he beamed. But then his expression relaxed and he propped himself up slightly on his elbows, cocking his head at me. "This is okay, right?"

"Er…" I glanced away, gnawing on my bottom lip.

Yeesh, I seriously needed to grow up. This wasn't a big deal. Like, at all. So what if we were sitting in the same bed? Nothing to freak out about. I mean, sure, I'd never shared a bed with a guy before, not even my ex. Come to think of it, I'd never even been in a boy's bedroom before. But hey, there was a first time for everything. This would be fine. I would be fine.

"...yeah, it's okay," I finally responded. He frowned, not looking convinced. I put on my best brave smile and managed a tiny laugh, "Really, it's fine." Or at least it would be once we stopped talking about it. Wanting to move the conversation along to something else, I searched my brain for a new topic. "So… you and Saïx…" I drew my knees up, hugging them to my chest, "...do you always mess with each other like that?"

"Oh yeah, all the time," he chuckled, settling back down into his pillow and folding one arm back behind his head. "Nothing says you care like making the other person's life a constant living hell!"

Settling my chin down onto my knees, I snorted. "Remind me never to let you care about me."

"Too late!" he chirped. My eyeroll belied the tiny cartwheel my stomach was doing. "'Sides, all siblings are like that. I'm sure you and Anna have terrorized the crap outta each other more times than you can even count."

"Well yeah," I turned my head to look over at him, resting my ear to my legs instead, "but that was way back when we were children. We grew out of it a long time ago."

Lea grinned cheekily, "Oh really? I seem to recall a certain someone chasing her sister 'round the living room trying to straight up murder her dead not hardly more than a week ago."

Wow, had that really only been just last week? It felt like eons ago by this point. A soft noise of contempt huffed out through my nose, "Don't exaggerate. I didn't try to murder her."

"How did it go again? ...ah, I believe your exact words to her were, and I quote, 'dip you in liquid nitrogen, snap every frozen limb off your body one by one, and then I'll kill you.' That about sum it up?"

I pursed my lips to the right, "...there were extenuating circumstances."

"Heh," he stared up at the ceiling, "if ya say so."

I lifted my head back up, my arms loosening somewhat around my legs as I considered my next words carefully. "About Saïx… can I ask what happened?" Lea glanced back at me quizzically and I clarified, "I mean with…" I tapped a finger to the bridge of my nose.

"Oh, his scar?" he rolled over onto his side towards me, bracing his head in one hand. "Old battle wound from our time in the foster system. Same shithead who let us two numbskull brats play with a chainsaw. Negligent and abusive. Real winning combo there, huh?"

"You mean a foster parent did that to him? On purpose? That's terrible," I breathed, looking horrified.

"S'okay," he gave a one-shouldered shrug, then smirked wickedly. "I retaliated by burning his house down."

My eyes widened, "Did you really?"

Lea sighed, "Unfortunately, no, but not for lack of trying. Only managed to set a bed ablaze and blacken a few curtains before the fire department showed up."

I stared at him blankly. "I am just... simply amazed that you survived long enough to make it to adulthood. Either of you."

He blew out an amused pft through his teeth. "Yeah, Saïx and I were definitely prime candidates for the Darwin Awards growing up. Told ya, we were lil hellions forged straight from the fiery pits of El Diablo. Hey, speaking of Ol' Bullseye over there..." he trailed off as he suddenly sat himself up.

"Bullseye?" I asked, arching an eyebrow his way while watching him fold his legs beneath himself so he could stand on his knees atop the mattress.

"Ya know. Mr. X-Marks-The-Spot," he tacked on by way of explanation, abruptly shoulder-slamming into the wall behind us just above his pillows and making me jolt.

...the heck?

"...you mean Saïx?" I furrowed my brow, wincing as he followed it up by crashing his elbow against the wall next. "Aren't those nicknames a bit… mean?" My question was punctuated with another loud thump.

Seriously, what on earth…?.

"Nah, he likes it." Whack! "Knows they're terms of endearment." Bang! "Only from me though. Anyone else ever even so much as thought about calling him anything like that, I'd make sure next time they turned up would be in a bodybag." Whump! "'Sides, you should hear half the shit he calls me, especially when he's royally ticked." Thwack! "This one time, he-"

"Wait. Hold it. Stop," I held up my hands, eyes flicking back and forth between him and the wall. "...what exactly is it that you are doing?"

"Huh?" he stilled, blinking at me a couple times. "Oh this?" his shoulder rammed into the surface once more. "This is the wall I share with Saïx's room."

...well okay then, sure, that totally and one hundred percent cleared up my utter confusion and lack of comprehension.

Not.

"Alright," I said, stretching the word out. "And so…?"

"So he's come to expect a certain level of enthusiasm on my part whenever I'm entertaining a lady friend," Lea winked and clicked his tongue before once again striking the wall.

"Oh?" I frowned down at my hands. Then it clicked with another louder, "Oh!" Followed by a slower, more quiet, "Oh…" Cheeks warming now, I looked back over at him, "You mean you… that is, against the wall, you've… oh." A pause while my eyes shifted about in my awkwardness. "But wouldn't the headboard get in the-" I stopped, glancing back over my shoulder and answering my own question. "Oh… oh, I see. No headboard. Got it. How very, er..." I cleared my throat and ducked my head to my knees, muffling into them, "...very practical."

I heard him snerk as the beating the wall was taking continued. "You're funny when you're flustered, ya know that?"

My face cranked up the heat dial even further and I scowled.

If you listened closely, the signs of a very steady, very distinct rhythm to the pounding could be heard beginning to take shape.

...I needed to stop listening so closely.

My eyebrows knit together as I then remembered something. "Wait… didn't Saïx say something about noise canceling headphones?"

"Well yeah, so he's not hearing any of this, but he can still see whenever any of the crap on his shelves or any framed pictures or anything else that might be up against his side o' the wall shakes from the impact," he shrugged, halting to puff out a noisy breath and wipe his forehead with the back of his hand. Apparently, he was working up a sweat. Then he grinned brightly, "This is actually kinda fun! Wanna have a go at it?"

I shot him a flat look. "...I think I'm good, thanks."

"You sure?" Another slam. "It's actually pretty satisfying. One might even say cathartic. Got any pent-up aggression you gotta work out?" And another, this one taking the form of a punch. He immediately regretted that one, eliciting a pained hiss as he shook out his now reddening fingers.

"Yeah, no," I rapidly shook my head, "no pent-up aggression here. Fresh out." Insert weak chuckle at my lame joke that was neither funny nor an actual joke.

"Suit yourself," he laughed, smacking the wall hard with an open palm this time. Then his back snapped straight and his face lit up, "Oh yeah! Before I forget…" he pivoted to his left, reaching into his messenger bag he'd hung up earlier and rooting around in it.

I snorted, "Done already?"

"Just giving that wall a breather," he said, not looking up from his searching. "We've found some other surface to bear the brunt of all our lovemaking for now, but we'll probably be back to this one later."

Oh gosh. Way to go, mouth, you just had to ask, didn't you? Just when my cheeks had begun settling down too.

"Ah! Found it!" he triumphantly pulled something out of the bag. Flopping back down to once more lay flat on the bed beside me, he held it out towards me, "Pour vous, ma petite amie jolie."

I squinted at the booklet in his hand. Or more precisely, a catalog. "Twilight University?" I read the bold lettering as I reached out to take it, staring at the image on the cover of a handful of young adults gathered around in a small circle of desks and looking photogenically excited about education.

"Yup! It's the course listings for next semester at my college. Lookie here," he opened the booklet up, leaving it propped in my hands as he started thumbing through it quickly. "Ah, there!" he stopped on a page, resting his head on my shoulder as he pointed to one of several listings that had been circled here. "They offer a few different introductory drama classes ya might be interested in."

I blinked down at the catalog as vague memories of a conversation I'd had with Lea last time I was here to help him study started coming back to me. "...you remembered?" I asked quietly.

"'Course!" I could feel his cheek pull into a smile against my shoulder. "It seemed important to you, so how could I forget?"

Honestly? I myself had forgotten. But to be fair, I had had a lot on my mind the past couple weeks, what with suddenly having a boyfriend now (pretend or otherwise), trying to figure out how to make a proper show of being a girlfriend, and stressing out over the all too soon to come visit with my parents. Frankly, my life had been turned upside down as of late and had become the very definition of insanity. There had just quite simply been no time to think about childhood fantasies of singing and performing in musicals.

But I guess… right here, right now in Lea's room, I had a bit of a reprieve. I mean, it's not like there was anything exactly pressing at this very moment, nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow at least. I suppose I had a few seconds I could spare to entertain the thought. It couldn't hurt anything…

"...so where is Twilight University exactly?" I stretched my legs out to lay flat on the mattress, crossing my ankles and resting the open booklet down in my lap. "Is it close to my apartment?"

He hummed low in thought. "Probably a bit too far if you're on foot. But maybe we could carpool there. And hey," he lifted his head to glance over at me, "I still got a free elective course or two that I need to take. I could enroll in the class with ya!"

I felt a grin tugging at one corner of my lips as I looked back down at the catalog, absently trailing my fingers down one of the circled paragraphs. "I think I'd like that…"

"Yeah?" he asked softly and for a second I thought I might have sensed him leaning in a little closer. But it must have just been in my head, for now he was pulling away to flop over onto his back on his side of the bed once again, making a small cough into his fist. "I, uh… talked to my friends too. The ones who run the local community theater. You're in luck! They're between shows at the moment and are actually gonna be holding auditions soon for their next one. Sometime this week, I think. It's a musical too!"

"Really?" I returned my gaze to him, closing the booklet but using a finger to hold the page. A sigh then escaped me as I worried my bottom lip between my teeth, "I don't know… I doubt I'm ready for anything like that."

Lea shook his head with a chuckle, "Ready for what? Just to talk to 'em? It's not like you actually hafta audition or anything. Nah, you can just head down, meet them, get some deets… maybe find out the where and the when so you can go and just watch other people tryout, ya know? Just get a feel for it, if you want."

He made a good point. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. I could go and just ask some questions, that's all. Surely, there would be no harm in that. "Maybe…"

"Well if you do decide you wanna drop in for a lil chat with them, their day job is over at Halloween Town in the mall. They should both be on the clock there around noon tomorrow. Ask for Jack or Sally and just tell 'em I sent ya," he jabbed a thumb into his chest with a big grin, "got it memorized?"

"Jack or Sally… okay," I nodded, responding with a small smile of my own. "I might do that. Thanks, Lea."

"Always happy to be of service! Now," he hopped up off the bed and made his way over to one of his shelves that was pure anarchy incarnate, "whaddya think? You up for a movie?"

The corners of my eyes crinkled and I set the catalog aside on the nightstand. "I could be. What are the options?"

He rubbed his chin, scrutinizing the mess crammed into the rack before pulling out a couple DVD cases, one from the top shelf and the other from somewhere in the middle. He held them up in either hand for me, "I'm thinking either Sixteen Candles or The Labyrinth. Thoughts?"

I looked between the two choices. Then my eyes scanned about the room and I frowned. "I'm thinking it's going to be hard to watch either of them without a TV."

"Without a-?" he blinked a couple times, looking over to his right. Then he sighed, "Hang on a sec," as he tossed the movies down onto the foot of the bed and made his way over to another towering pile of clothes against the wall directly across the room from his bed. "Watch and be amazed as I make a flat screen appear outta thin air in three… two…" he whipped the garments aside with a flourish, revealing the television beneath, "Ta-da!"

"Ah," I gave a polite clap and settled more comfortably down into his pillows, "I stand corrected. Though who needs movies when we have your amazing wizardry to keep us entertained?"

He scratched the back of his head, "Heh, it'd be a short magic show. 'Fraid I just got the one trick up my sleeve."

"Too bad." I paused, eyeing the DVD cases. "Make it a double feature?"

He snapped his fingers and snatched them both back up.

"Girl after my own heart. Pure genius."

Author's Note: Ah, yet another classic cliché for the books: our couple encounters one room, one bed for the night xD Also, fun fact: I started out this chapter stumped for what they should be talking about over dinner. Then I asked my bestie, who simply said: "gummi ships." And I just laughed it off at first, all "naw, that wouldn't make sense for this AU." But then it churned in my mind for a few minutes and I was like "wait… no… I think I can make this work…" And thus the Global Union for Multigalactic Mobility Investigation aka GUMMI Space Program aka NASA rip-off was born xD And further thus, Lea being an alien conspiracy-nut JUST for the sake of pissing of his space-loving half-bro was born xP Anyhoo! For those of you who haven't seen Frozen 2 yet (for shame, it's SO good, I demand you go out and watch it THIS INSTANT), Bruni the salamander is from that! He's a fire spirit in the movie with legit fire powers, so I got excited to give the fire boi a fire lizard for a pet! Also, maybe you can start to see the inklings of actual plot starting to sneak back into this story xD Slowly, we'll get back on course, but not before at least one more hijinks-y misadventure takes place… hehehe…

What does the next chapter hold in store for out couple? What new challenges could their budding fake relationship face? Is Elsa really going to pursue any sort of acting class or community theater? Will Lea ever follow his realtor aspirations he seemed so passionate about? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

16 notes · View notes

idrawstuffidk · 3 years

Text

I found a list of 40 terrible writing prompts and have decided that i shall share them here and write some of them :3

Write a story set on another planet exactly like our own. Call that planet "Earth."

Tell the story of a man who must decide whether he wants fries with that.

I am thinking of a number between one and ten. What is it?

Describe purple from the first person viewpoint of purple.

Tell the story of an aardvark that is possessed by the devil.

Tell the story of a six-inch ruler that is possessed by the devil.

Tell the story of a single raspberry that is possessed by the devil.

A man awakes to find that all his socks are gone.

Think about the play Hamlet. Write something good like that.

Describe your most recent bowel movement. Use all your senses.

Grab the nearest book. Open it to a random page. Close your eyes and point to a word. Write a story using only that word.

Write a grocery list in iambic pentameter.

Image that the object closest to your left hand contains JFK's soul.

What if showers were what made you dirty?

A man makes a sandwich. Describe what happens next.

Write about your earliest memory but describe it as though it is happening right now with you at your current age.

Write a story consisting only of adjectives and exclamation points.

A girl duck has a maze-like vagina to avoid getting pregnant when a boy duck rapes her with his bendable, corkscrew-like penis. (You do not need to write about this. I just wanted to make sure you knew that nature includes some fucked up shit.)

Pretend you are a writer with a really great idea. Write that idea.

Write the story of a writer whose characters come to life and interact with her.

Write a love letter to your favorite toenail.

Begin with the line: Let me start at the beginning.

End with the line: And that was all.

Incorporate the line: You had me at Jell-O.

Write a story that includes this line: Inevitably the incongruity exacerbated Her Excellency.

The musical Cats but with electric eels.

Write a story set in a world where windows are opaque and walls are transparent.

What if a mime were actually trapped in an invisible box, it was shrinking, and no one would help him?

Write a story about Kurt Cobain rising from the dead to attend a Josh Groban concert and eat a cronut.

Rearrange the words in Green Eggs and Ham to tell a story that doesn't rhyme.

A woman watches a lot of television. It is her only interest.

A couple has a misunderstanding. Hilarity ensues.

Two people with the same name are constantly getting each others' mail. Hilarity ensues.

Due to a technical mishap a talking pickle is elected president. Hilarity ensues.

Something happens. Hilarity ensues.

What if spiders only had seven legs?

What if all Target stores were underwater like Atlantis?

Write what you know.

Write about how other mothers are inadequate.

Write a list of really awful writing prompts.

http://www.chicagonow.com/listing-beyond-forty/2013/11/40-really-awful-writing-prompts/

There’s the link to the article of you wanna see it.

#writing prompt

1 note · View note

badchoicesposts · 4 years

Text

Don’t Dream It’s Over Chapter 22

Series Summary: Liam and Ali thought that their relationship was perfect, but their whole world came crashing down when Constantine called him back to Cordonia. Four years later they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party, determined to make things between them work even if it isn’t always easy.

In this AU, Liam and MC (Ali Moonessar) dated for a year in New York while Leo was still crown prince. They broke up when Constantine asked Liam to come back to Cordonia, but they meet again at Liam’s bachelor party before the social season. The story will contain flashbacks, which will be italicized, of their relationship and follow them as they try to navigate the season with Ali as a suitor. I’ve messed around with the timeline a bit so that it fits the story better. I’ve also added in a few OCs of my own.

Pairing: Liam x MC (Ali Moonessar), Platonic!Drake x MC

DISCLAIMER: I’ve changed up the timeline of the social season a bit to fit my story better. I’ve based it off of some research I did on the British Social Season.

Taglist: @flowerpowell, @ao719, @kingliam2019, @emceesynonymroll, @hopefulmoonobject, @dcbbw, @qammh-blog, @liamxs-world, @drakesensworld, @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction, @lauradowning29, @texaskitten30, @senseofduties, @alexintheskyy, @jared2612

A/N: This is the first fic I’ve ever written. Please let me know if you enjoyed it and would like to read more. I thrive on validation, lol. Thanks for reading!

Catch Up: Masterlist

There was an almost murderous look in the king’s eyes as his gaze swept over the engagement ring and wedding band on Ali’s finger. There was a brief passing of sadness and familiarity on his face as he stared at the diamond of the engagement ring, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. Liam gripped onto Ali’s hand tightly, his stance protective as he faced his father and stepmother.

“I did what I thought was best for my child and the woman I love,” he responded, squaring his shoulders and bringing himself up to full height.

Ali almost smirked at his actions. She knew very well that Liam was trained to understand and utilize body language, and he was most definitely aware that what he was doing made himself seem more intimidating. She bet Constantine never expected Liam to use any of those tricks on him.

“How do you even know that the child is yours?” Regina jumped in.

Ali wanted to be offended, but at this point, she wasn’t sure if there was anything Regina could say to do so. After offering to pay her off to leave the county and abort the baby, it was obvious that neither of them had much love for each other.

“How do you know it’s not Drake Walker’s?” the woman continued.

“Because I trust her. That article was purely fiction and based only on rumors,” Liam responded.

“Yeah, rumors that the two of you played a hand in starting,” Leo said, looking pointedly at his father and stepmother.

Leo’s words caused everyone to pause. A tense silence filled the room as everyone took in his statement.

“What are you talking about?” Liam asked, his mouth hanging open in shock.

“Charlie noticed another member of the Guard had been hanging around you a lot recently. More than he should have been. Bastien confronted him and found out that he was operating under the king and queen’s orders. When Madeleine saw you and Drake at The Derby, she took the first set of pictures and brought them to our father and Regina. It was dear old dad’s idea to release the pictures to the press and start rumors about you and Drake. He saw it as an easy way of getting you out of the competition, and I believe it was Regina’s idea to have someone follow the two of you. She knew that you were friends, so it was just a matter of time before you ended up alone together again. From there it’s pretty easy to make it seem like there’s something going on, even if there isn’t,” Leo began. “Madeleine was just a puppet. The guard was supposed to go to her with any information he found out, and she was in charge of releasing it. She tried leaking the story of the child being Drake’s, but Bastien bought back the photos, so when they couldn’t be published, she decided to make the announcement in front of everyone at dinner. She’s definitely not innocent in all of this, but our father and Regina were the ones pulling her strings.”

Ali tried to choke back a laugh, but instead it came out as an odd snort. They were really coming at her from all sides. It would almost be amusing if it hadn’t made her life so miserable the past few months. Everyone turned to look at her curiously.

“Sorry, sorry. Please keep yelling,” she said sarcastically.

“If it makes you feel any better, she genuinely thought that the baby was Drake’s,” Leo said.

“Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel better,” Ali said, letting out a genuine laugh at his comment.

Leo simply shrugged in response only adding to the odd sense of hilarity of the situation in Ali’s mind. This was all so chaotic that she couldn’t fully process her emotions. She couldn’t believe her life had taken this turn in the first place. The past week was a blur, and if she was being honest, she wasn’t even sure what day it was. In her mind, Leo’s ability to somehow stay calm and lighthearted in this situation made it all even more comical.

“This is ridiculous!” Constantine yelled, picking up where they had left off as if nothing happened. “How do you expect to lead a country if you can’t even be trusted to make a decision as simple as choosing the correct wife.”

“You don’t get to decide whether or not the person I chose is ‘correct’,” Liam argued. “Besides, we still haven’t addressed the fact that you set her up and then tried to pay her off to get rid of the baby!”

He turned to Regina angrily. Liam rarely ever raised his voice, and he almost never got angry. He was one of the most patient people she had ever met. It was one of the many things that Ali loved about him. So, she knew how upset he must be if he was doing so. She chewed on her thumb nail anxiously, an uncomfortable smile on her face.

“Which you should have agreed with! It would have fixed all of our problems! But, instead you married her!” Constantine pushed in.

Every word out of his mouth was becoming more and more aggressive, and he seemed to be having difficulty getting them out.

“This conversation isn’t getting us anywhere. I’ve already drawn up the annulment papers. All you have to do is sign them,” Constantine barked out, reaching inside his desk drawer and grabbing the documents.

He slammed them down on the desk and held a pen out for Liam to take, looking at him challengingly. Liam crossed his arms over his chest.

“No.”

The room was deathly silent as the two faced off. The tension in the room was palpable, and Constantine looked like he was going to explode from anger at any moment.

“Sign the damn papers, Liam!”

Ali let out another cackle, not able to hold it back this time, before dissolving into laughter. There was just so much going on, and she didn’t know how to react or what to do with herself, so she laughed. She laughed to keep herself from actually losing her mind. They were talking about her as if she wasn’t standing right there. Not to mention the fact that hearing she was basically the root of all of their problems didn’t exactly ease her discomfort. They all turned to look at her as if she were crazy, which, honestly, she felt like she was. Constantine’s chest was heaving as he tried to regain his breath after the intensity of the argument. He tried to hold back a cough, but it escaped anyway, and his wife looked at him in concern but said nothing.

“I’m sorry… I’m just… so uncomfortable. I don’t even know… how I got here,” she choked out in between giggles as she doubled over in laughter. “This is ridiculous! I never… stood a chance… They were… they were both coming after me.”

She grabbed onto Leo’s arm to steady herself as she continued to laugh uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes.

“And I’m pregnant! I’m actually pregnant!” she continued, her head falling back as she continued to chuckle. “Can you believe that?”

“Uh, Liam, I think she’s broken,” Leo said hesitantly, looking at her now red face.

His comment only served to further her amusement, and she snorted from how forcefully she was laughing.

“For god’s sake, will you stop laughing!” the king screamed, slamming his hand down on his desk.

Ali brought her hand up to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggles as Constantine dissolved into a coughing fit. He slumped over in his chair as Regina rushed to his side, taking hold of his arms and helping him sit down.

“Father! Are you okay?” Liam asked rushing to his side as well.

All traces of laughter were gone as everyone looked on at the man who had seemed so healthy just moments ago. Leo rushed to the drink cart in the corner of the room and poured a glass of water for him, helping him take small sips of the liquid. Constantine sat quietly for a few moments, allowing his breathing to return to normal before addressing his sons again.

“This is why it’s so important that you choose the right person,” he said, his voice hoarse but calm.

“You’re sick,” Liam concluded, backing away from his father in surprise.

He backed into Ali’s arms, leaning into her embrace for support. She squeezed him tightly, wishing that the action in itself could absorb some of his pain.

“A monarch has never stepped down in the way that I have chosen to do. I feared that having someone so inexperienced become queen would be too much change too quickly and that the people would suffer for it.”

“So, you are sick?” Leo prompted, looking just as pained as his brother and needing a confirmation.

Constantine sighed and looked over at the two of them sadly.

“I have an aggressive form of lung cancer. My days are numbered,” he finally admitted.

Leo ran his hands down his face, turning away from him and walking across the room to stare out the window. Liam pulled himself out of Ali’s arms and made to walk over to his father before abruptly stopping.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” he asked, his voice broken and defeated.

“Worrying you with this wouldn’t have helped any of us,” Constantine said, waving his hand dismissively.

He was trying to put up a mask of indifference, but Ali saw right through it, and she was sure everyone else in the room did too.

“So, instead you tried to hurt the only woman I’ve ever loved every step of the way to get what you wanted instead,” Liam said in the same tired voice. “You decided to make the social season as difficult as it could be for her, and you manipulated Madeleine into helping you.”

Constantine didn’t respond, instead looking staring straight ahead at the wall. Ali wanted to be angry. She wanted to yell and scream about the fact that they were trying to sabotage her, that they were willing to drag her name and reputation through the mud by alleging an affair with one of her best friends. Because of him she had received death threats and an almost unbearable amount of hate from people she had never even met on the internet. She had been forced to deal with whisperings of people calling her a whore and demeaning her. She had been humiliated. She wanted to rage about the fact that they had tried to keep her and Liam apart, that they had wanted her to get rid of their child. That Constantine had just tried to force them into annulling their marriage.

But, instead she saw a broken family in front of her. She saw the man she loved hurting because the person who raised him was dying, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. She didn’t want to force herself into their family business, but then she remembered that it wasn’t just their family anymore. It was her family now too.

“Liam and I are married, and by now I’m sure everyone already knows about it,” she said calmly, taking control of the conversation. “Trying to break it off will only make things look worse for Liam. Right now it can be played off as abrupt. Something that we did in the heat of the moment because of our love for each other and our child. But, if it gets out that we got the marriage annulled or that we got divorced, it’ll make Liam look even more reckless than he already does, and that’ll make people question his ability to lead.”

She squared her shoulders the same way Liam had a few moments ago and moved to stand in front of her now father-in-law.

“I know that you don’t think I can handle this, and that whole laughing fit may not have helped your opinion, but that doesn’t matter anymore. You don’t know me, and you don’t know what I can handle or what I can do. You can scheme and manipulate as much as you want, but you don’t know what I’m capable of. I’m not taking any of this lightly. I came here knowing very well what I was getting myself into. I’m not going to lie to you and say that I’ve always been confident in that decision, but I know what I want now. I know who I am. Liam’s my husband for better or for worse, and I’m going to rule by his side. Let me worry about showing the people what I can do, about showing them that I’ll be a good queen. All you need to do is focus on living long enough to see me prove you wrong,” she said.

Everyone seemed stunned by her sudden surge in confidence. She was owning the room. She looked strong. She looked regal.

“Just focus on living long enough to meet your grandchild, okay?” she finished, a kinder look in her eyes as she placed her hand on her stomach.

Constantine looked down at her hand, the ring that he had given Liam’s mother all those years ago sparkling on Ali’s finger. He remained silent for a moment, before looking back up at her.

“Okay.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, surprised to see Constantine agree so quickly. Ali didn’t know what to do next. She hadn’t really planned that far ahead.

“Well, I believe we have a ball to plan,” Regina said, finally breaking the silence.

“A ball?” Ali questioned.

“The people have already been deprived of seeing a large, royal wedding. We need to hold some kind of celebration.”

Ali forced herself not to roll her eyes.

“Okay. Let’s plan a ball.”

~~~

Ali was frantic. She was running around the ballroom in sweatpants trying to make sure that everything was going to be perfect for the ball tonight. After being appointed the new Duchess of Valtoria, she had spent the past week planning her and Liam’s celebratory ball with Regina while also travelling back and forth between the Capital and Valtoria in attempts to juggle all of her new responsibilities. She was still settling into her new role as duchess and had only managed to plan this ball because of the Queen’s help. However, the other woman had ever so kindly left her to finish up the last minute preparations on her own. She was sure that Regina had done so on purpose as some sort of test, but she didn’t have the time to be bitter because there still seemed to be a million things that needed to be done. Every time she crossed something off of her checklist, ten more things seemed to pop up.

She checked the time on her phone and began to panic even more. There was two hours and twenty minutes left until the ball, and she still needed to make sure all of the center pieces were arranged properly on the tables, check in with the orchestra, read through the guest list so she didn’t accidentally get the Swedish and Norwegian dignitaries confused, approve the seating arrangement, check in with the kitchen and wait staff, and make sure the damn ice sculpture that Regina insisted on having was delivered and in place before guests started arriving. Not to mention, she still had to shower and get dressed.

“You look crazy,” Drake said, walking up behind her and glancing around the ballroom.

Ali sighed in relief as she turned to face him.

“Drake, have I ever told you that you’re my favorite person in the whole wide world?” she asked, smiling at him sweetly.

He rolled his eyes in response.

“What do you need?”

“Can you run to the kitchen and make sure that everything is okay? Here’s a copy of the menu and appetizers,” she said, ripping a piece of paper out of the binder in her hands, “Just make sure that everything is prepared or will be prepared in time, and then meet me back here.”

She tried handing it to him only to see that he wasn’t paying attention. His eyes were locked on a woman standing a few feet away from them with a few of her coworkers, helping set the tables. The woman was stealing glances back at Drake as well, a small smile on her face the entire time. The name “Blanca” was written on her nametag, and Ali made a mental note of it before snapping her fingers in front of Drake’s face to bring his attention back to her.

“You can stare at the hot waitress later. Right now I need you in the kitchen,” she said, shoving the paper into his hands and pushing him in the direction of the ballroom doors.

Ali pulled the flashcards that Liam made her out from the pocket of the hoodie that she was wearing and began flipping through them as she made her way out to meet with the conductor of the orchestra.

“Lady Amelia Edwards, daughter of Count-,” she trailed off as she ran head first into a tall figure.

“I’m so sorry,” she began to apologize to the woman, before looking up and seeing that she was walking with Maxwell who was holding a baby in his arms.

“Ali! This is, um, this is Savannah. Savannah Walker,” Maxwell said, motioning to Savannah.

Ali’s jaw dropped, and she froze in place for a moment before quickly recovering, properly taking in the appearance of the woman for the first time.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” she said happily, once she had come back to her senses.

She was about to hold her hand out for Savannah to shake, when the other woman surprised her by pulling her into a warm hug. Well, it would have been warm if there hadn’t been a two inch binder stuck awkwardly between the two of them.

“It’s nice to meet you, too! I’ve heard all about you! Drake used to talk about you all the time, and Maxwell kept me caught up on all of the court gossip while I was away. I feel like we’re already friends.”

“I didn’t know you were in contact with Maxwell,” Ali couldn’t stop herself from saying.

“Yeah, Savannah’s been in Paris,” Maxwell said nervously.

Drake had been agonizing over the fact that he didn’t know where his sister was, and she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Maxwell knew of her location the entire time.

“And who’s this little guy?” Ali asked, fearing that she already knew the answer.

She made a face at the baby in Maxwell’s arms causing him to smile and reach his hand out toward her. She grabbed his little fist in her hand gently, and his laughter grew louder at her action.

“This is my son, Bartie,” Savannah said.

“Bartie? Like short for Barthelemy? Barthelemy Beaumont?” she rambled.

She was met with silence from the both of them, and she turned to glare at Maxwell as if to ask him what he was thinking.

“No! He’s not mine. I’m just the fun uncle.”

Ali let out a relieved breath.

“Oh, thank god! I was afraid for your life for a sec. Drake would have murdered you,” she let out a laugh, before fully processing his words. “Wait, fun uncle? You-you mean Bertrand?”

Maxwell and Savannah glanced at each other before Maxwell nodded slowly.

“I can’t believe he never mentioned having a baby!” she exclaimed.

Maxwell and Savannah shared another look, but both remained silent.

“Bertrand... doesn’t know,” Maxwell said, cringing as the words left his mouth.

So Drake’s sister left because she was pregnant with Bertrand’s child. A child he didn’t know she was pregnant with. Ali felt like she needed a drink. A drink that she couldn’t have now that she was pregnant.

“Hey, Moonessar, everything’s good in the kitchen,” Drake said from somewhere behind her.

She heard his footsteps stop abruptly, and turned to see him looking at the three of them with his jaw hanging open.

“Savannah?” he questioned, his voice betraying his disbelief.

At that moment, Bartie started to squirm in Maxwell’s arms, soft whimpers escaping his mouth as he reached for Savannah.

“It’s okay, Bartie. Mama’s here,” she said in a quiet voice, lifting him from Maxwell’s arms and holding him close to her chest.

“Mama?” Drake questioned again, his jaw hanging open.

Savannah gave him a strained smile as she began to walk up and down the hall, bouncing the child on her hip to soothe his cries. Drake seemed to snap out of his trance and turned to angrily face Maxwell. He opened his mouth in what Ali was sure was an attempt to yell at the other man, before she ran to his side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Drake, stay calm,” she said in a stern voice.

“Calm? Really? You want me to stay calm?” he yelled, agitated.

She squeezed his shoulder tighter, and forced him to keep his eyes on her.

“Look, I’m not completely sure what’s going on, and I don’t necessarily agree with Savannah leaving without telling you or Bertrand, but she must have had her reasons. You shouldn’t get mad before listening to her.”

“Bertrand? What does he have to do with this?”

Ali took a step back and smiled at him sheepishly, a nervous laugh escaping her lips.

“So, uh, about that,” she began, anxiously wringing her hands.

“Bertrand is Bartie’s father,” Savannah said, walking back over to them.

“Sorry,” Ali mumbled to her.

She stepped back to stand awkwardly next to Maxwell. They watched as Drake stood next to his sister, shell shocked and completely silent. After a few moments, he simply turned on his heels and began to walk away. Ali looked at his back questioningly before realizing that he couldn’t see her expression to respond. Maxwell and Savannah both looked troubled, but she soon realized that neither of them planned on going after him. When she noticed this, she took off running in attempts to catch up.

“Drake! Wait, I have little legs!” she called trying to get him to stop.

However, he kept moving, three of her strides equalling about one of his.

“You shouldn’t make the pregnant lady run after you!” she called, knowing that she wasn’t far along enough to have a bump slow her down, but that this would most likely cause him to stop.

She was right, and he froze in place, his shoulders slumping as he waited for her to catch up to him. He resumed walking when she had finally made her way next to him. The path to the maze came into view as they continued moving in silence, Ali letting him have the time he needed to process his feelings, while also letting him know she was there for him.

“She obviously doesn’t want me involved in her new life,” he said sadly.

“What? Drake you don’t know that.”

“She never wrote or called. She left, had a baby, and didn’t tell me about it.”

“She must have had her reasons. It probably wasn’t easy finding out she was pregnant with a duke’s baby, but she’s here now. You should listen to her and hear what she has to say,” Ali said, attempting to calm him down enough to not screw up his relationship with his sister.

“You found out you were pregnant with Liam’s kid, and you didn’t leave or run away,” he pointed out.

Ali cringed. She didn’t necessarily agree with Savannah leaving without telling her brother of the father of her child that he was even a father in the first place, but she forced herself to remember that she wasn’t personally in Savannah’s situation. She didn’t know what her relationship with Bertrand was like.

“That’s not the same thing,” she tried to reason.

“Yeah, you’re right. It could have been so much worse for you. You got pregnant with the future king’s baby. She got pregnant with Bertrand’s,” he said, saying the other man’s name with disgust.

Ali grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop, forcing him to look at her once again.

“Look, we don’t know what her relationship with Bertrand was like. You have every reason to be upset about how she left, but at least she’s here now. You can talk to her. Tell her about how it made you feel. If not for her, do it for yourself. She’s your sister, and even if you’re mad and hurt right now, you love her.”

Drake didn’t have time to respond. A member of the wait staff came running up behind them, cutting their conversation short.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, my lady, but the ice sculpture has arrived,” the young man said.

Ali froze in place for a moment, overwhelmed by everything that was going on. She looked back over to Drake, and the man simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Go. Duty calls.”

Ali rolled her eyes and ran back inside. She directed a few members of the staff to put it in the corner of the room and stopped in the middle of the ballroom trying to figure out what to do next. She wanted to go back out to the maze and sit with Drake. He had been there for her every step of the way and now that he needed someone in return she couldn’t return the favor. But, she also had a list of chores to get done and a ball to get ready for, with only one hour and forty-seven minutes left to do it all. She caught sight of Blanca across the room and smiled evilly to herself. She ran to the bar across the room and asked the bartender for a bottle of Drake’s favorite whiskey.

“Oh, it’s not for me,” she said awkwardly, when the man looked at her oddly.

He gave her the bottle and two glasses she asked for anyway, and she ran across the room to the unsuspecting woman.

“Hi, Blanca, right?” she asked with a sweet smile, causing her to look at her questioningly.

“Yes.”

“I have a kind of weird request for you. You know Drake Walker right? Prince Liam’s best friend? Tall, dark, and broody?”

Blanca blushed slightly and nodded, only causing Ali to smile wider.

“Well, he’s kind of having a rough night, and I would go deliver this to him myself, but I’m kind of busy. Would you mind doing it for me? He’s out in the maze.”

The woman looked at her nervously for a moment.

“I’m not sure if I should. I’m in the middle of a shift,” she said hesitantly.

“I mean technically you would be working under the orders of your future queen,” Ali said, figuring that using the title would go a long way in convincing the woman. “And I would be happy to vouch for you if any questions are asked.”

“Okay,” Blanca said, taking the bottle from her.

Ali lit up with a smile.

“Great! Go, talk, drink, makeout, whatever!” she said, pushing Blanca out the ballroom doors.

“Wait, what?” Blanca asked, her face turning bright red.

“Nothing! Have fun,” Ali called over her shoulder as she ran back into the ballroom to finish getting everything ready for the ball.

#the royal romance #the royal heir #trr #trh #liam x mc #liam #king liam #my fics #liam x mc fanfic #playchoices #playchoices fanfic #choices #choices fanfic

37 notes · View notes

is0gild · 4 years

Text

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 8

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Word Count: 6,473

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

It was dawning on me that I hadn’t fully thought this through.

This whole “having friends” thing.

There were so many factors I hadn’t even considered. Like, once you’ve made a new friend…

...what the frick are you supposed to do with them?

One would think I’d have this figured out by now. After all, I was friends with Rayne, wasn’t I? But Rayne was different. There hadn’t really been much to think about there, we’d just sorta clicked. Besides, we’d met when we were children - a time when the hot topics to talk about had been our favorite toys to play with or which of the boys had cooties or our latest masterpieces made during Arts and Crafts time involving gluing popsicle sticks and sequins to pine cones. You know, kid stuff.

But now I was an adult. An adult who had just made new adult friends who probably expected adult conversations.

And unfortunately I just didn’t think cooties and sequins were going to cut it anymore.

Which is why I could now be found on this fine Friday afternoon shift at the Ice Palace having borrowed Kristoff’s phone, making use of the current lull in customer traffic to carry out some important research. And how, one might wonder, was this important research being gathered?

By googling the phrase “how to friendship.”

Genius, I know.

Thousands of articles and tutorials had come back in the search results, not all of them useful, but I’d landed on a couple that could maybe help a little bit. I gnawed on my lower lip as my eyes quickly scanned over the words. Then with a nod, I used a pen to transcribe the cliff notes version over to my palm, adding on to the ever growing list of useful tidbits that could now be found there.

Call it my Chit-Chat Cheat Sheet. That’s right, folks, you’re witnessing a crucial life hack in the making. This handy-dandy little list was going to be my one-stop shop to social butterfly success. Look out, new pals of mine, you were about to be friended so hard. I was going to friend your butts off! This was-

“Hey, I also like to doodle on my hand whenever I’m bored outta m-”

With a half gasp, half yelp, I jolted up straight, wide eyes discovering Lea now standing on the other side of the counter from me. He brought up his hands, “Woah now, sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.”

My own hand flew up to cover my pounding heart as I breathed out and shook my head. “No. No, it’s fine, I should’ve been paying more-” My fingers flexed, closing around empty air. My brow furrowed. “Wait…” Where did my-? Did I drop it? “...I had a pen.”

It suddenly blurred down from up above to crash land into the countertop, making us both flinch and jerk back slightly.

Oh. Heh. There it was.

“Sorry about that,” I gave a weak laugh, retrieving the writing implement and giving it a little waggle as I held it up. “I… guess I still got a few kinks to work out before I can successfully launch the first unmanned pencraft into orbit.”

...wow, did that stupid joke really just come out of me?

Must. Resist. Urge. To. Wince.

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Might I suggest waiting for a day when the weather forecast reports zero chance of ceiling?” he pointed up.

I nodded, “Good note. Excellent observation. Prime example of one of my kinks.” I blanched, then hastily stammered, “I mean the… one of the kinks that, uh, needs to be, er… worked... out.”

Ugh, what’s wrong with me? Why am I like this?

This is why I needed the list.

...crud! The list! My eyes darted to my palm where it was scrawled in plain view for all the world to bear witness. Then my gaze flicked to Lea, looking at me with an eyebrow cocked and one side of his lips turned up. Then I balled my fist and jammed it behind my back.

Had he seen?

He mustn’t know about my secret hacks!

That’s when I spotted it. Kristoff’s phone. Still on the counter between us. Still open to the WikiHow I’d been taking notes from. My other hand shot out and swatted the device away, sending it slamming into the wall on my right before clattering to the ground.

Oopsie. Sorry Kristoff!

Luckily he was currently out and about taking his ten. He’d never have to know. This could just be our little secret between the phone and me.

“Shit, what’d that poor thing ever do to you?”

...rather, between the phone, me, and Lea.

What had it done to me, he asks? It’d tried to rat me out, that’s what!

My eyes darted to one side. “...let’s just say the crime fits the punishment.”

Snitches get stitches.

He glanced to where the abused phone still lay abandoned on the tiled floor, then snorted and crossed his arms with a shake of his head, “If you say so.”

Alright, so this exchange so far? Could be going better. Not exactly textbook. Lot of room for improvement. But that was okay because (ba-dum ba-dum!) Chit-Chat Cheat Sheet to the rescue! It could salvage any social catastrophe! Let’s just watch it work its magic, shall we?

I shifted to bring my hand out in front of me once more, casually resting my palm face down against the countertop. Then I lifted it just barely enough to furtively peek at the first couple lines I’d written there.

Start with a warm, friendly greeting. Examples include…

I locked eyes with him. “Whassup.”

He blinked. “Um… hi?”

Nailed it.

Alright, now that a proper line of communication had officially been established in the most cordial manner, on to the next step: small talk. After sneaking another quick look at my notes, I pressed my hand back down again and recited the words I’d just glanced at, “So nice weather we’re having, huh? At least it’s not raining like last week.”

This list was a god send. Pure gold.

He squinted upward, scratching the back of his head. “Hasn’t it been sunny for months now?”

...fudge.

Abort, captain, abort! The first one was a dud! Quickly, lock and load the second one and fire!

I anxiously checked my palm again and latched onto the next line, reading out, “That’s an awesome shirt you’re wearing!”

He frowned down at it, eyebrows knitting together. “You mean my work polo? Not… really, but okay.”

Aaaaaaaand another swing and a miss!

Oh wise and powerful Chit-Chat Cheatsheet, why hast thou forsaken me here, now, in my greatest hour of need? Me, your most devout and faithful of followers? Me, who loved and worshipped you so?

Feeling my panic spiking, I looked to my hand again to find one more line I had yet to try. One final chance for salvation. This was it. My ace in the hole. List, don’t fail me now!

Desperate, I didn’t even register the words as my eyes snatched them from my palm, handed them off to my brain that then shoved them down the pipeline to my mouth which proceeded to blurt out verbatim, “So what do you do in your flamingo?”

...the list had failed me.

“I’m sorry, what does who do in the what and where now?”

And we’re talking like… epic failure.

I was just now realizing this was the one I’d been in the middle of jotting down when Lea had startled me. So chances were good that that sloppy mess of a scribble at the end of the sentence? Wasn’t actually the word flamingo.

At least, I hoped it wasn’t.

Whatever. I give up.

Puffing out a sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose, I muttered, “You know what, forget it. I’m just… having a bit of a malfunction. One of those days, I guess.”

“Oh,” he chuckled, “no worries! Those come up all the time working customer service, so I totally get it.”

This guy was too nice. Here I was, spouting off nonsense like a gibbering baboon and he was just brushing it off like it was no big deal. Like it was an everyday occurrence for a person to ask him if he did lord only knows what to a neon pink bird. I should get on with assisting him with whatever he’d come over here for. It was the least I could do in exchange for him putting up with the trainwreck that was me. Taking a deep breath and putting on a smile, I asked, “So what can I help you with today?”

He returned the smile, “Take a wild guess.”

I glanced around my work space. “Ice cream?”

“Got it in one,” his thumb went up. “I’m a total addict by the way, so you’ll be seeing a lot of me.”

“I’m sure your dentist says the same thing,” I deadpanned, pressing my finger to a button on the cash register. “Sea Salt, right?”

“You’re on a roll today!”

My grin twitched wider. He was so much better at this small talk thing than me. “How would you like it?”

“I like my ice cream like I like my women: swirly and in a waffle cone,” he winked, tossing out some finger guns.

...I take that back, this dork was just as clueless as I was. Had to be if he thought that was funny.

I merely arched an eyebrow at him as the silence stretched. Then he pouted, “Aw c’mon, kid, these are the jokes! Don’t leave me hanging here.”

I snorted, tapping a couple more keys on the register. “Sorry. It’s just that after the other day, I would have thought your answer would’ve been more along the lines of ‘frozen solid and on a stick.’”

“Oo, dirty,” he chirped, his eyebrows bouncing.

Welp. That’d teach me for trying to play along.

“But no,” he waved off, “that was more out of necessity. Only the ice cream bars can survive the long trip up the clocktower without melting first. Otherwise, give me creamy, fluffy, and with a twist any day!”

“Duly noted. Just a sec.” I turned, plucking one of the cones off the top of the stack as I walked past, approaching the soft serve/milkshake machine.

Ah, my old nemesis. We meet again. One could almost hear the Old West face-off tune whistling in the background. But thankfully, there would be no drawing of pistols this day.

I liked to think there was a grudging, mutual respect between us now.

Being super mindful of the Anger Button, I switched it to the appropriate flavor and pulled down on the lever. As I moved the cone in small circles while it slowly filled with blue, sugary goop, I heard Lea ask, “Snow Bear?”

I looked back at him, a crease forming between my eyebrows as I tipped my head to one side.

...what’d he just call me?

He was hunched forward now, elbow on the countertop and chin propped in hand, fingers drumming against his cheek as he squinted at me with a frown. Then shook his head, “Nah, too healthy, even for a goody-goody like you. Tofu has no business being anywhere near ice cream.”

Then it clicked. Snow Bear was one of the flavors we offered.

“Big Bad Pete?” he pursed his lips to one side, then crinkled his nose. “Nope. Too nutty. Thinking you like a crunch, just not that kind.”

I returned my attention to the machine, making sure the cone wasn’t too top heavy. “Are you… trying to guess the type of ice cream I like?”

“Yup! Since Sea Salt clearly wasn’t your thing.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that.” I released the lever, completing the stacking spiral with a nice little curl at the top and turning to face him once more. “But it is… shall we say, an acquired taste?”

Lea smirked and scoffed, “Blasphemy! Don’t worry though, I won’t judge you too harshly for your dirty, heathen tastes.”

“You’re too kind,” I rolled my eyes as I handed him his purchase.

Taking it in one hand, he used the other to give me the munny due. “Consider it my one good deed for the century. It’s a doozy though. I’m expecting my sainthood any day now.” He then lapped off a big blue chunk as he eyed me thoughtfully. “Donald Fizz maybe?” Then he pulled a face with another shake of his head, “Nu uh, too close to Sea Salt.”

“If you really want to know that badly, it’s-”

“Buh buh buh,” he pressed a finger to my lips, cutting me off. “Yeesh, don’t spoil my fun like that, let me guess! This is like my mutant power, I can always tell a person’s fave ice cream.” He narrowed his eyes on me as he took another bite, licking some of it off from the corner of his mouth. “You’re a tough read though. Gonna need more time, gather more intel.” A grin broke out again, “But I do oh so love a challenge.” Then he snapped his fingers, “What about-”

“Elsa?!”

My blood ran cold at the voice that cried out from across the food court.

A very, very familiar voice.

One I had not expected to hear again for a while yet and certainly not here, at the Dusk Town Center mall, at my sanctuary of all places.

Lea glanced over his shoulder, looking for who’d interrupted him before yelping and leaping out of the way so as not to become roadkill to an auburn and blue blur zooming straight for me. It crashed up against the other side of the counter, lashed its limbs out over the top and seized me in its vice-like grip, yanking me forward into a bone-crushing embrace and squeezing the absolute life out of me as it once more shouted, “Elsa! I found you! At last, I found you!”

Or rather… not it, but her.

Anna Fryse.

My sister.

...who, as I was just now discovering, might also be part boa constrictor. Good lord, this girl did not know her own strength!

“Anna,” I wheezed, feebly patting at her elbow. An extraordinary feat, given that her bear hug was practically super gluing my arms to my sides. “Can’t. Breathe.”

“You’re okay! I was so worried! I thought you might be hurt or trapped or drugged or kidnapped or amnesiad or dead or, or, or- but you’re not! You’re really, really not! You’re alive!”

“Won’t be for much longer if you don’t let go,” I croaked out, starting to see spots. Finally she released me and I gasped for breath. Ah, oxygen. Beautiful, life giving oxygen. I coughed, “Did you seriously just use ‘amnesia’ as a verb?”

Completely ignoring my question, her hands still grasped tightly at my shoulders as sharp, blue eyes set in a freckled face looked me over. Her red hair was done in pigtail braids and she was in a dark cobalt sundress with a black bodice.

Then she opened her mouth.

“Woah, Elsa! You look different! It’s a good different! I love everything about it!” She grabbed me by the cheeks, “Your face, the outfit, that hat - oh gosh, that hat! I never thought I’d see you in a friggin’ baseball cap! It’s too friggin’ cute! And a ponytail! How many times have I said you’d look totes adorbs in a ponytail, and you know what? Told you so! And- oh. My. Gawd!” She bellyflopped onto the countertop, pointing down, “I just saw the mini skirt! Friggin’ you! In a friggin’ mini skirt! Damn girl, you hawt!” She fell back onto her feet once more, looking up at our sign, “And this place! What is this place? This place is amazing! Do you work here? Please, please, please tell me you work here! Oh my gawd, you do! You have a friggin’ job! What do you do? How much do you make? Do you pay taxes? Do you pay rent? Do you have a 401k? What is a 401k?” She pointed at an ice cream spade, “What’s this thingie do?” Next at the soft serve/milkshake machine, “How does that work?” Up at a dangling Sven plushie. “What’s up with all the friggin’ deers?” Then at Lea standing off to one side, slowly eating his ice cream and watching on with one curious eyebrow quirked. “Who’s the hottie with a body?” She started to wave, calling out, “Hello, Mr Hottie-With-A-Bo-”

“Anna!” I hissed, cheeks roasting as I snatched her hand back down. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Lea returning her wave with a tiny one of his own, to which I shot him a dull stare. He just grinned and shrugged. Shaking my head, I asked him, “Could you, uh… would you mind giving us a minute alone? Please?”

“Sure, no problem. I should be getting back to work anyhow. Laters, El!”

...El? Who’s El?

“Nice meeting ya, El’s friend!” he gave a two finger salute to Anna with a wink before sauntering off.

Huh. Guess that’d make me El. I’d earned a nickname. Had our friendship leveled up? Wow, I was so good at this friends thing! Without even understanding it, I had somehow already mastered it.

Bravo, me!

Anna watched him go, then turned back to me with a low whistle. “Okay, seriously, who was the sexpot and please, for the love that is all that is good and foxy, tell me you are tapping that.”

“Oh my god, Anna!” I facepalmed. I wasn’t going to dignify that with a response. “What are you even doing here?”

“I told you already, I was worried!”

My forehead wrinkled. “But you knew I wasn’t abducted or anything, you were the one who helped me run away. Besides, didn’t you receive my text telling you I was okay?”

“Yes, weeks after you disappeared!” She smacked me in the arm with a glare. “You could have contacted me sooner, brat! And what the frick was up with your stupid text?!”

“Stupid...? What was wrong with it?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry, don’t come looking for me,” she flatly recited the words from my message before looking away with a huff. “Please, have you never seen any kidnap movie in the history of like friggin’ ever? That’s like classic code for ‘help me, help me, I’ve been taken hostage and am being forced to tell you these things under duress.’”

“Ugh, the way your mind works,” I grumbled, massaging one temple. “How did you even find me anyway?”

Anna snorted. “What, you think just cuz you blocked my number that I wouldn’t be able to track you down? Sis, please, we live in the golden age of technology. Trust me, I have my ways. There’s a lot a girl can do with just a phone number and this little thing called the internet.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but then froze with a gasp as another thought struck me and nearly stopped my heart. My eyes darted about, searching the food court while I fidgeted with my fingers. “Wait… oh god, does… do Mother and Father… do they know? Are they also here? Did you tell-”

She gently shushed me, reaching over the countertop to rub my arm. “Sis, Sis, it’s okay, they’re not here, don’t stress! I did tell them I got the text from you so they’d know you’re okay, but I didn’t tell them I’d figured out where you were. They don’t know that I came here looking for you. You don’t have to talk to them until you’re ready.”

“Oh thank god,” I sighed, slumping against the counter. That… was a talk I was in no way prepared for. Not just yet. I gnawed on my lower lip for a second, glancing back up at Anna. “What about-”

“He’s fine too,” she said softly.

I frowned. “...really?”

Her face pinched into a tiny grimace. “I mean, he’s not great. He got dumped at the altar, what do you think? But he’s a big boy, he’ll survive.”

Well that was a load off my mind.

Not.

“Ugh, I feel terrible,” I buried my face in my hands. Then I peeked out between my fingers at her. “Could you… I don’t know… maybe do damage control with him for me or something?”

“Was already on it,” she beamed with a thumbs up. “But enough about all that, gah, so friggin’ depressing! I wanna hear more about you and your new life and this whole job thing and that redheaded Hunky McHunkface and all that’s happened to you since you flew the coop! Tell me everything!”

A tiny smile crept up onto my lips. I knew I’d been missing my little sister, but it was only in that moment... seeing her here in front of me, hearing her voice again... that I was realizing just how much. “I’d actually really like that. But uh…” I looked past her, noticing more shoppers wondering about amongst those tables out there now than there had been just moments ago, with even more trickling in by the second. “Looks like we’re about to get our afternoon rush, so it’s not really the best time.”

Anna tapped her chin with a low hum before her face lit back up. “Are you free tonight?”

My head tilted to the left. “I’m working closing, but I should be out of here by nine I think.”

“Perfect! Let’s do dinner! Then we can properly celebrate your new found freedom as you tell me all about it! Whaddya say? Pleeeeease?” Puppy dog eyes initiated.

I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, okay. That sounds nice.”

“Yay!” she bounced on her heels, rapidly clapping her hands together with a tiny squeal. “Ahhhh! Can’t wait! Okay, you said nine, right? Right! I’ll be waiting in my car right outside those doors over there, got it? Good! I’ll leave you to it then!” Then she was snatching me into another hug over the countertop and planting a kiss on my cheek with a loud mwah! “Love ya, Sis! See you then!”

And just like that, Typhoon Anna whooshed off once again, disappearing into the ever growing crowd.

Not a second later, I heard the door open behind me. “Hey, I’m back, sorry it ran a little long, I- hey, why’s my phone on the floor?”

I winced.

Heh… woops.

One tiny detail may have slipped my mind in all the mayhem that had been the last ten minutes.

I turned to see Kristoff stooping down to pick it up before he graced me with a scowl. I chuckled sheepishly, “So… funny story…”

I got the feeling Kristoff hadn’t found my story all that amusing.

Don’t think he’d found it particularly believable either.

Not sure why. I mean, wasn’t it totally plausible that a strong gust of wind had blasted through the entire mall, causing one of the bigger reindeer dolls to fly off its hook and rocket straight into my hands, knocking his phone free from my grasp and sending it slamming into a wall where I had then left it for fear that moving it could cause more damage and trauma to the poor little device that had already been through so much?

No? Not plausible? Not even remotely or in the slightest?

Drat.

I'd never really been good at the whole lying thing.

But it'd been the best I could come up with on the spot. I mean, I wasn’t about to tell him the truth about how I was a total, pathetic dunce when it came to making friends which in turn caused me to do idiotic things like fling other’s people’s fragile property at hard surfaces.

In any case, Kristoff and I were currently not on speaking terms.

At least, I’m pretty sure we weren’t. That was my best guess anyway, given he hadn’t spoken two words to me since I’d spun my little tale.

Eh, he’d get over it.

A couple hours of the silent treatment later and he’d clocked out without so much as a goodbye. Then a few more hours brought me to the here and now of closing time. I was almost done wrapping everything up, just needed to finish wiping down all the surfaces. Having already ensured the inside of the little shop was pristine, I’d stepped out to be on the food court side of the counter, using a cloth to remove any fingerprints and other smudges that’d been left by customers on the display glass.

As I finished cleaning the last of it, I exhaled heavily and straightened up, planting my hands on my hips as I inspected my work. Nodding in approval at a job well done, I then looked to the clock on the wall to see that it was a quarter to nine. Perfect. Plenty of time to grab my things and lock up before heading out to meet Anna. Stretching my back to loosen some of the stiffness that had settled in there, I then took a quick glance over my shoulder.

It really should come as a shock to no one at this point that Lea could once again be spotted across the way from me. I was beginning to think the people in charge of scheduling our shifts met up for weekly tea and crumpets or something while they made sure the hours the two of us worked almost always lined up exactly. What nefarious scheme was being cooked up by the upper management of our two separate companies? What could they possibly hope to gain by it? Only time would tell.

In any case, he too looked to be almost done with all of his closing tasks. He was currently out in the food court area as well, using a broom to sweep up the area in front of Pizza Planet. Or so I’m sure the intent had been.

Except... he wasn’t really so much in front of the pizzeria as he was on top of one of the tables.

And it wasn’t so much a broom as it was an impromptu mic.

And he wasn’t so much sweeping as he was in his own little world, enthusiastically lip-syncing and dancing away to the song blasting out of his phone in the back pocket of his pants. I Believe In A Thing Called Love by the Darkness, if the wild electric guitar, high falsetto vocals, and cheesy lyrics were anything to go off of.

Wow, he really was a complete dork.

A splutter of a laugh burst out of me before I was able to clamp both my hands over my mouth in a vain effort to stop it.

I’m not sure how he heard me over all that explosive glam rock, but it seemed he did somehow for his head suddenly jerked in my direction. Then he beamed and started hopping across all the tabletops towards me. That couldn’t be sanitary. His feet at last touched ground in front of the Ice Palace as he crouched low before springing back up into a half-turn, landing himself in a seat atop the counter right between the ice cream display case and a cash register.

Still directing that ear-to-ear smile my way, he pulled his phone out long enough to hit pause on his music. “So whadja think? Do I put on one hell of a show or what?”

Oh dear. Not only a dork but no shame to boot. A deadly combo, that.

I snorted, eyes on the glass once more as I went back to scrubbing it for the now nonexistent spots. “For sure. You should hurry up and get on becoming a bigtime rock star already.”

Broom balanced on the floor between his knees, he folded his hands over the handle point and rested his chin on his knuckles. “Nah, all that fame and fortune I’m guaranteed to get cuz I’m so loveable, awesome, amazing and cool would go straight to my head.”

I bit back a grin. “Because you’re so modest now.”

“Oh yeah, I’m humble as fuck!” he declared brightly. Then he shrugged and sighed, “Guess I’m just kinda perfection that way.”

My eyelids drooped. “...clearly.”

“So,” he lifted his head off its perch, freeing up one hand to scratch behind his ear, “everything okay? Between you and your sister, I mean.”

I looked at him, blinking a couple times. “How’d you know she‘s my sister?”

“You two got the same nose,” he smirked, tapping a finger to the side of his. “But seriously, you all good? She seemed pretty frantic.”

“Oh, that’s just Anna for you. The Looney Toons Tasmanian Devil personified. Pretty sure she doesn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘calm.’ But no, she’s fine. We’re good.”

“Glad to hear it!” A pause. “So…” he said again, this time stretching the word out as he bounced the broom handle back and forth between his palms now. “...you eat, right?”

Hand still absently running the cloth along the glass, I raised an eyebrow at him. What kind of question was that? “...I have been known to on occasion, yes.”

“Good. Any dinner plans tonight?”

I froze, eyes round.

Oh.

...was he asking what I think he was asking? I think he was asking what I think he was asking. Why would he ask that?! Wait... oh no… did he think that I was thinking that he should ask what I think he was asking? Because if that’s what he thought I was thinking, I most certainly was not thinking that! Not even close! Unless… did this here right now count as me thinking that?

...hold up, now I’m confused... what was I thinking again?

Oh that’s right.

I was thinking about him.

Asking.

Me.

Out.

Which I was so not ready for! I mean come on, I had just gotten out of a long term relationship! What was that rule? The one about how long after a breakup before you should start dating again? Something about waiting at least thirty minutes before getting back in the -

Wait no, that had to do with eating and pools…

Whatever, gah! However much time it’s supposed to be, pretty sure it’s more than just a few weeks if you’d not only been together for years, but also frigging engaged to your ex!

Current relationship status aside, let’s just be real here... I’m not sure if this was something I would ever be ready for. Hello, Mayor of Hermit Island here! They throw hermit parades in my honor. Those parades have zero spectators and consist of one (1) person marching, that person being me, all alone, by myself, because it’s Hermit Island and kind of the whole point! It was sort of a miracle I’d ever started dating in the first place, much less wound up with a fiancé of all things! When you think about it, and I mean really think about it… how the frick had that even happened?! I’d been there, heck, I’d lived it and even I was still scratching my head over that one. I mean, how had I ever-

“Hey now, what’s with the-?” Lea’s words broke me out of the word jumble that was my brain and my eyes darted over to him. His furrowed brow suddenly went slack and he blinked, heading rocking back. “Hold on, you don’t think that I- That I’m asking you out on a- No! God no! No, no, no, that’s not what this is!”

Oh thank goodness!

Wait… how did he know that’s what I’d been thinking?

...could it be the fact that all the color had drained from my face and I had stopped breathing?

Speaking of which, I should really start that back up again.

Okay, all together now, one, two, three annnnnd sharp, deep inhale.

Whew, much better! Man, oxygen and I were having a real on-again, off-again relationship today.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with y- I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to- that is, uh… aw, crap,” he groaned, bonking his head against the top of the broom handle. “Forget it. Look, what I was trying to say was we - that is, the kiddos and I and a buncha other people who work at other stores 'round the mall, all of us get together every Friday night for food and drinks at the 7th Heaven. It’s this nice little pub not too far from here and I dunno if booze is your thing or what, but the grub’s pretty good there too, way better than your average bar food and so I was just wondering if you’d like to, I dunno… come join us and just hang out for a bit, have some fun. Interested?”

Ooooooooooh, got it! Well that was a relief!

...wait, was it?

Oh dear, just the thought of me having to interact with that many people all at the same time was enough to make my soul leave my body. Because once again, I have to play the President of Hermit Island card here. That’s right, I’d promoted myself from mayor to president within the last five minutes. I like to think I’d earned it after all my years of exemplary hermit service.

The point was, this little get-together sounded precisely like the kind of situation that I wanted to be on the polar opposite end of the planet from. Seriously, the Devil himself could not have designed a more fitting hell for me. Don’t get me wrong, it was sweet that Lea had thought to include me and I’m sure all the other people going would be nice and everything, but... I just couldn’t. I couldn’t do it. Not with the cold, stabbing pangs of anxiety already coursing throughout my chest at even the mere mention of going to such a thing.

Luckily, I didn’t have to. I had an out. A beautiful, glorious escape route courtesy of the one, the only, my savior (queue angelic choir singing)... Anna.

Clearing my throat, I managed a small smile. “Thank you, I appreciate the invite, I really do and I’m so sorry but I’ve already made plans with my sister. Speaking of,” I glanced at the clock again before hurrying past him and back into the Ice Palace to drop off the cleaning rag, “I really should be going now, she’s probably already waiting for me.”

He slid off the countertop, spinning around to face me with a frown. “Aw, ya sure? Why don’t you just bring her along too? We won’t mind, the more the merrier!”

Still with the smile, now accompanied by a slight scrunching of my nose, I shook my head. “Mm, no, I don’t think that’ll work. But maybe next time, okay?” Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I stepped out from behind the counter once more and stretched up on my tippy-toes, reaching for the pull-down gate. Crud, why was I always so stupidly short?

“Let me.” Him being the absolute Ent that he was, Lea had no trouble whatsoever reaching it and yanking it down for me.

“Thanks,” I murmured before locking it up for the night, then turning and making my way towards the double doors leading outside.

“Hang on, I’ll walk you out,” he said, bringing me up short.

Turning my head back towards him, I held up a hand, “Oh no, that’s fine, you don’t have to!”

“I’m heading that way anyway.” He started walking away backwards, jerking a thumb over his shoulder towards the Pizza Planet, “Just let me close up shop real quick.”

“Really, it’s not necessary. I’m just going to-”

“Be back in a sec!” he spun one-eighty, jogging off.

“...go,” I finished weakly.

Well now what? I guess maybe I should wait? My eyes shifted to the doors longingly.

...well, I did tell him he didn’t need to walk me. Not my fault he couldn’t hear me over the sound of his own chivalry.

Screw it. I’m leaving.

With a small grimace and one last peek back to where Lea had just disappeared, I turned away, squared my shoulders and strode off.

Pushing through the exit doors and out into the night air, I spotted Anna parked at the curb right in front of me in her bright red Porsche convertible, its top already folded back. She honked at me, calling, “Hey, hot stuff! Looking for a good time?”

I merely grinned and shook my head at her as I approached the vehicle. However, just as I was reaching for the car door, a voice called out behind me, “Wait up!”

I winced, screwing my eyes shut.

Fudge.

Lea came to a stop next to me, panting and hunching forward, planting his hands on his knees. He must have been running the whole way to make sure he caught me before I could esc- erm, I mean, before I left. He lifted his head, blasting us with the full force of those dimples of his as his gaze flicked back and forth between me and Anna. “You sure you ladies can’t join us tonight?”

“Thanks, but-”

“Join you for what?” Anna cut me off, scooting closer by shifting from the driver's seat to the passenger, arms folding across the top of the door.

This. Right here. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted him to walk me out.

“Nothing big,” Lea straightened up, placing a hand on the car door as well and leaning against it. “Just drinks and food with some friends from work. If you can’t change your plans though, that’s totally cool, I just wanted to-”

Because once Anna found out...

“What are you talking about?!” she laughed. “Of course we can change our plans! That sounds so fun, count us in!”

…there was no way I was getting out of it. Ugh.

“Wha- really?” No doubt about it. He was quite pleasantly surprised. “Great! The place we’re meeting at is called 7th Heaven. Short drive from here.” He waved to another car parked a few spaces further down the curb, which responded by flashing its blinkers, “That’s Xion. She drew the short straw for designated driver tonight. Just follow her car and she’ll lead you right to it!”

“Sounds good! See you there!” she waggled her fingers at Lea as he dashed off to get into the other car. Then she scooched back over behind the wheel, making room for me. Face pinching just a smidge, I sighed and got in, slamming the door shut behind me. Bouncing in her seat as she started the engine, she chirped, “Wow, we lucked out! This is gonna be a blast! You excited?”

“...thrilled,” I said dryly, buckling myself in.

Welp. Let’s get this over with.

Personal hell, here I come.

Author’s note: Ahhhh, there she is! Elsa’s feisty-pants lil sister makes her debut! Also, notice how much Anna says friggin’? Now those sound more fitting coming out of her, but Elsa grew up hearing those friggin’s (and fricks) coming out of her sis for years now, so it may have rubbed off on her a lil. Also the last name Fryse? Norwegian for ‘freeze’... yeah, I got a lil punny in coming up with Elsa’s family name, ignore me and my silly lil pleasures xD And more BBS ice creams sneak into this chapter - and I was mindful of their in-game descriptions too, so yes, it is in fact canon in the video game that the Snow Bear flavor has *shudders* tofu in it. TOFU. In ICE CREAM. Thanks, but no thanks!

Anyway, moving on! Now Anna drags our dear antisocial hermit off on an unwanted adventure! What’s next for our intrepid heroine? Will she survive this dreaded night of socializing? Just who exactly will be at Friday night drinks anyway? And with the sheer volume of ice cream Lea probably consumes daily, just HOW massive must his dentist bill be at this point, I mean really?? We may never know the answer to that last question, but as for the rest, stay tuned to find out next chapter!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to any new followers out there (hello! :D) and to those of you who hit that like button last chapter, seeing that always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

10 notes · View notes